Follow You Into Hell
by NeevaIsNotKawaii
Summary: Ever wondered what life was like for Ling and Lan Fan before, during, and after Brotherhood? Starting from when they were children, and following with Brotherhood, this is the story of Ling and Lan Fan since the very beginning, to the very end. Chapters 1-6 under revision. Chapter 13 soon to come.
1. The Master and His New Assassin

**Disclaimer: I do not own FMA or FMAB but I own my idea**

**Well, this is my second story, pretty much all about Ling and Lan Fan, growing up, to helping in Amestris, to their life after Amestris, so you can be expecting a lot of chapters out of this one. **

**It follows along with Brotherhood, obviously. I think I've watched it enough to remember the story line and where they come in. **

**Anyways, this first chapter starts out when Ling and Lan Fan are about 12 years old. **

**Chapter 1- The Master and His New Assassin**

* * *

"…and you have been trained well, so don't disappoint me Lan Fan. Do you understand?"

Lan Fan bowed respectfully to her grandfather. After 8 hard years of training, it was finally her turn to be assigned a master to look after. It was her duty, as part of their clan, to protect the Yao clan at all costs. Truthfully, Lan Fan couldn't tell the story herself, but all that was drilled into her mind was to protect them, even if it meant sacrificing herself.

Her grandfather and eleven brothers was all she had. Her mother had died giving birth to her and she never really knew her father. None of them did. Her grandfather was only here to train them all, and then train her own children. If she ever had any…

Lan Fan had been the first girl their clan has seen in 12 years. The eldest daughter of their clan, named Yuki, had been killed in action protecting her own master. She was simply replaced by her oldest brother. It seemed a bit empty hearted, but that's just how things were done here.

He stood up and smiled at her. "Come with me, I want to give you something." Lan Fan smiled back and stood up, stretching and following her grandfather to his room. He took out a mask, a red and white one, with a Yin sign at the top.

"Mother's mask?" She asked a bit confused, and looking up at him.

He nodded and handed it to her. "She wanted me to give it to you when you were ready to begin your destiny as an assassin." He said, smiling at her.

Lan fan took it from him and looked at the painting and craftsman shit put into it. It was so smooth, and cool to the touch.

Fu took out his own mask and pointed to the top of it, showing her the Yang sign on the top of his. "These masks have been passed down in the clan for hundreds of years. They have never been broken, or separated." He explained. "So take care of it. This is very important."

Lan Fan nodded and bowed to him once again. "Thank you Grandfather." She looked back up to him. "For everything."

Fu nodded. "Now don't go getting soft on me. Go now. Put on your clothes and run along to the palace. You don't want to be late."

Lan Fan smiled and turned to walk out of the room. "Oh and Lan Fan…"

Lan Fan stopped where she was walking and felt a familiar chill. She heard a small pinch of air, like someone was throwing a sharp object. She grabbed the nearest book and held it in front of her just in time to protect herself from the push knife that was hurtling towards her.

Grandfather Fu chuckled. "Well done."

(-)

Ling sighed, looking out across the countryside at the scenery before him. It was ridiculously boring at the palace, and he kind of wished he wasn't royalty. He saw the commoners having more fun that he was, and they barely had anything to their name. There were many times when he tried to get involved with them, but his father forbade it. He pouted a bit.

"Master Ling! Your bodyguard is here to meet you." said one of the maids, poking her head around his bedroom door.

He turned around and looked at her flatly and nodded. The maid bowed her head and closed the door behind her. He didn't need a bodyguard, he could protect himself. He was trained for combat and everything. But he did know that the clan protecting his family was trained a lot harder, and were more skilled in ways he was not. He just hoped this guy wasn't a complete wimp; he would trade for a different one, just as he had before.

He walked down the long corridor, everyone but his brothers and sisters bowing to him respectfully. He sighed impatiently. He wasn't all that into this amount of respect. He believed in a united country, not divided. All that did was create rivalry between clans. There were many people that had risked their heads, literally, to kill either him, or his other brothers and sisters. He wasn't complaining really, as long as it wasn't him. It cut down on the competition.

He walked into the grand hall and dropped to his knees to bow to his father. "Ling. I see you've made it here. Your new bodyguard is here." His father boomed.

(-)

Lan Fan walked into the grand entrance and into the grand hall, her back straight, her defenses up and her eyes scanning the environment. Her father had taught her to be alert at all times, hence, the push knife incident. Now, it just became a habit. If her Grandfather wasn't putting her to the test, her rotten brothers were. And they could pop up _anywhere. _

When she reached the throne, she kept her eyes low. It was disrespectful to look at the emperor, especially before bowing. She bowed down on her knees, her nose almost touching the ground and then sat back on her knees, still keeping her eyes to the red felt carpet under her.

"I am here to retrieve my young master." She said in a strong and flat voice.

Ling looked at her and felt his heart drop. Not only because she was pretty, but because she was a _girl_. He had no idea they had any women in their clan, he only knew of the eleven brothers. He blinked once, then twice at her and then looked to his father, who put a hand to his chin and rubbed. "Very well." He said, his voice filling the entire hall. "You will be protecting my 12th son, Ling."

Lan Fan nodded her head but still keeping her vision low. "Yes, your majesty. My clan is honored to serve your family."

"You may go."

Lan Fan bowed once more and stood up, turning to leave the King's foyer. Ling went before her and led her into his chambers. She returned her vision ahead of her until they were in the courtyard. All she saw was his back. She sighed a bit. Good. Because she would be watching that back for the rest of her life…

Ling turned and she gave him a curt bow, still not seeing her new master. She was nervous about the whole thing. She lifted her eyes to him, still keeping her steely expression. "My name is Lan Fan. I will be your assassin and protector from now on. Your wish is my command, Master Ling."

Ling smiled at her once her eyes met his. It made her kind of nervous, with him looking into her that way. "Nice to meet you Lan Fan."

Nice? Hardly. He was acting way too polite with her. She had to correct this immediately. "Uhm, Master Ling? If I may speak?"

Ling raised an eyebrow at her. "You don't have to ask me permission for anything."

Lan Fan was taken aback, but still kept her respectful ways. "I believe you are acting a bit lenient to me. Might I ask why?"

Ling chuckled. "It's because I don't believe in a strained relationship between the protector and the protected." He said, shrugging.

Lan Fan blinked at him. She could already tell, that this was going to make her weak not only as a protector, but as an assassin altogether. "But I am your servant. You are supposed to treat me with discipline-"

"Don't worry about it Lan Fan. As long as you're with me, you don't have to worry about being treated so harshly." Ling interrupted.

"Does this have to do with me being a girl?" She implored.

Ling shook his head. "If anything, I trust you will do a better job of protecting me than any of your brothers will."

"But my Lord—"

"Lan Fan I mean it!"

Lan Fan blinked at his raised voice, his expression much more serious than before.

"That is my order. You don't have to be so uptight with me, got it?" Ling said, looking directly at her. He didn't want her to be so uncomfortable. He was looking forward to having her by his side. She seemed pretty reliable, her will to stick to the rules was proof enough that she was going to keep him safe, at any means necessary.

Lan Fan wanted to protest but instead bowed her head, obeying his request. "Yes Master Ling. I understand perfectly."

* * *

**First chapter is always the shortest! I promise I will elaborate more on their relationship in the next chapter, I bump their age up about two years in the next chapter. **

**So I hoped you liked how I introduced them. I figure since the culture is so rigid, Lan Fan would be the more traditional one than Ling would be. **

**The next chapter will be up soon! Feel free to leave a review, I would love a reason to keep on writing!**

**Thanks for reading! **


	2. Summer Daze and Hide-and-Seek

**Disclaimer: I don't own FMA/B I own my idea**

**Well then, This one took a lot of thinking, strategically you understand, and you'll find out why while you're reading. **

**Here's the second chapter, Summer Daze and Hide-and-Seek…**

* * *

Lan Fan sat with Ling on the roof, looking over the entire community in the burning heat. Summer was just peaking, and it had been two years since she became Ling's protector. She became much more comfortable with being around him. Before, he just made her nervous.

"Lan Fan." He whined, looking towards her. "I'm really bored."

Lan Fan looked up from the book she was reading. "I'm not sure what to do Master Ling." She said, shrugging. It was almost too hot to do anything today. And of all places he decided to enjoy the breeze, it was on the roof. Probably the hottest place in the palace.

Ling stood up, the breeze blowing his hair back. He had a lot more on his mind that he let on. He had noticed that the Emperor had become violently sick; it was becoming very dangerous to be out and about on his own. So he had Lan Fan in tow wherever he went.

The only problem with having so many brothers and sisters was that as soon as there was even a slight possibility that the Emperor might be dying soon, every clan in Xing jumped at the opportunity to get the Emperor's immediate children out of the way. As a way to cancel them out from gaining the throne. And if that wasn't bad enough, his own brothers and sisters turned against each other.

Ling had yet to figure out what to do to top everyone else that wanted to gain power. It was on his mind constantly…

He turned to her and raised an eyebrow. "What's that you're reading?" He asked, walking over and sitting next to her.

Lan Fan continued reading the Xingese manuscript. "It's about the history of Alkahestry. I figured if you wanted to find a way to gain power on the throne, it would be best to start there."

Alkahestry was used in the medical fields mostly, and she decided if simply getting sick was a problem, and if Ling really wanted to come to power, then he should try for immortality. There was no way that anyone could top that.

But there were no guarantees that someone else hadn't come up with the same idea. The hunt for something like that was going to be bitter work.

Lan Fan kept reading. "But there's nothing here. I can't find anything anywhere."

Ling groaned and laid back, his hands behind his head. This was proving to be harder than he thought.

Lan Fan kept reading and came across a lead. "Wait, there's something here. About alchemy."

Ling raised an eyebrow. "Alchemy?" He asked a bit confused.

Lan Fan nodded. "Yes. It's used mainly in Amestris. But it's not used in the medical field. Well, not as much as it is here in Xing."

Ling frowned. "So how would that help me achieve immortality?"

Lan Fan read a bit farther and then widened her eyes in shock and surprise.

Ling sat up and looked at her. "What is it Lan Fan?"

" 'Alchemy, mainly used in Amestris and a few surrounding countries, is responsible for the creation of the Philosopher's Stone, which is said to improve Alchemic use without the basic rule of Equivalent exchange.'" She read, her eyes skimming the page.

Ling tilted his head. "Okay, so how is some stone supposed to help with the situation at hand?"

Lan Fan closed the book. "I'm no alkahestrist, but don't you think that if we find this so called 'Philosopher's Stone' and combine it with the Alkahestry we use here in Xing, shouldn't that be the next best thing to immortality?"

Ling crossed his arms. "You might be on to something Lan Fan." He said, putting a hand up to his chin. He smiled. "Well I think that's enough studying for a while." He said, taking the book and tossing it off the roof.

Lan Fan scrambled to her feet and jumped off the roof after it. It was a very high point to be jumping from, but this was an important book. He fell towards it and caught it in her hand. "That idiot!" She mumbled to herself, falling towards a tree and landing on a branch. She looked back up to him with the dirtiest look she could possibly give to him.

Ling waved to her with a bright smile. "Nice work Lan Fan!"

She scowled at him. There was some times where she just wanted to kick him in the face for doing such a stupid thing. Why the hell would he throw her book off the roof like that? It wasn't even _her_ book, it belonged in the _library_.

She managed to quickly and nimbly climb her way back up to the roof. She pulled herself up into a hand stand and flipped over backwards onto the roof. "May I ask what possessed you to throw a LIBRARY book off of the roof Young Lord?" She asked, trying to keep her tone respectful.

Ling smiled at her pridefully. "Just testing my assassin to her maximum potential." He appreciated how skilled she was. He couldn't have asked for a better clansman…or rather clanswoman.

She brushed herself off and flopped down behind him. _'That didn't mean you can play fetch with me.'_ She thought with a scowl on her face.

Ling looked at the sun, now setting over the mountains in the distance. "Hey Lan Fan. What do you say we play a little game?"

Lan Fan rolled her eyes up to him. "A game? How childish…" She said, a smirk on her face.

Ling laughed. "Yes, a game. Hide and seek. What do you say?"

Lan Fan shook her head and crossed her arms. "Not a chance."

Ling pouted. "Come on Lan Fan. I thought you said whatever I asked you to do you would do it."

Lan Fan blew out a breath. "Not a chance." She repeated.

Ling hugged her and tightly and rubbed her with his face. "Come on Lan Fan pleeeeeaaaassseee?"

Lan Fan tried to push him off. "Gee—Master Ling what are you—stop!" She said, trying to hold in her laugh. "Okay okay! I'll do it."

Ling let go of her and stood up, his hands on his hips. "Great! I'm glad you changed your mind."

He looked behind him, the sky almost dark. "You see that forest over there?" He said, pointing a ways behind him.

Lan Fan looked. "The willow forest? Yeah I know it. What are the rules?" She could tell why he chose the willow forest. There were nothing but willow trees there, and it was hard to find people through the vines. Unless someone sensed the other's chi, hide and seek was the most optimal game to play out there.

Ling nodded. "I'm sure you already know what the object of the game is. I'm going to get a head start and then you come find me. And if you can sense chi, which I'm sure you can, it shouldn't be too hard."

Lan Fan sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "I can't believe I'm letting you pull me into such a childish game." She looked up at him and raised an eyebrow with a smirk gracing her lips. "You aren't going to make this easy on me are you?"

Ling grinned. "Nope."

The sky had finally fallen dark and Lan Fan stood up to stretch. The moon was peeking up now and it lit up the sky just a bit. She turned to look up at it. She loved how the moon looked against the dark sky. It was like looking at light at the end of a tunnel. "Alright, when are we doing this?" She waited for an answer. "Ling?" She turned around.

He was gone.

She grinned. "Of course." She sighed and jumped off the roof once again, landing in the tree and standing up on the branch looking towards the forest. "Alright." She said to herself, running towards it.

(-)

Ling was still running towards the forest and he chuckled to himself. He thought it was better to dash away while she was distracted. When he reached the forest he walked between the vines, looking around and his hands in his pockets.

Lan Fan reached the forest and took a breath to concentrate. She felt his chi, but it was faint. Which meant that he was probably deep in the forest by now…

She walked in and began to look around her, looking for him, but not rushing anything. It had been a long two years, trying to keep up with him. He was always eating way too much, or running off somewhere where she couldn't find him. It was extremely stressful for her.

She knew he could take care of himself, but it was her job to make sure he didn't lift a finger. She was supposed to be first in command for that, only after she died was he supposed to defend himself. She could get punished if he even came home with a single scratch.

Ling leaned against the tree trunk and could sense Lan Fan a few miles away. He was still deep in, but he would run off again once she got too close.

He smiled at himself for coming up with such a time occupying thing. It was still boring around the palace, even with someone like Lan Fan with him. They sparred a few times, but she couldn't do any real damage to him, which made her a little more careful in her attacks. He knew that if they were really fighting, Lan Fan would have him on his back in a quick second.

He liked the company that Lan Fan gave him. He still thought she was as pretty as when he had first met her. Unfortunately for him, she gave no signal or hint that she felt the same way. He could see why; her family had been trained not to develop that kind of feeling for their masters. It was a taboo for her to even get that close to him, but he decided that that rule would be out the window once he became emperor. Not just for her, but for everyone else in Xing.

He figured that it was drilled into her mind that she was only his protector, nothing more, nothing less. Any more than that, she could be executed.

Lan Fan continued to walk, silently moving the vines out of her way to see through them. A few midnight butterflies flew up as she took a step and one landed on her hand. She smiled at the simplistic beauty of it. It wasn't colored like the butterflies that people saw during the day. It was colored in tan and brown, it seemed beautiful to Lan Fan. She watched it fly away.

Then she heard a rustle.

It wasn't Ling; his chi was still pretty far off. This was someone she didn't recognize. She flicked her wrist and one of her kunai fell into her hand. She felt the air around her turn dense and stale. A shiver ran up her spine.

Whoever it was, this was sure not to be a nice meeting.

She felt the person move toward her and she turned around, throwing her kunai at the moving object. The person dodged it and landed a few feet away from her. It was a man, a few inches taller than Ling.

"Who are you?" She said, flicking her wrist, another kunai sliding into her hand. She held it up in defense. Her mind turned from game playing more to complete annihilation.

The man grinned. "I'm Li Chang, from the Chang clan." He said, taking out his katana and holding it up to her, preparing for a fight. "And as soon as I'm able to get you out of the way, I can get that idiot prince out of the way too."

Lan Fan felt her anger rise. She threw her kunai at him quickly. No one insulted Ling. He managed to dodge it but just in time, and it gave him a deep cut on his arm.

She grinned, her hand behind her back. "Getting me out of the way isn't going to be as easy as you think Chang." The Chang family had been an enemy since the very beginning of the dynasty. She knew the plan, to take out Ling to reduce competition. She wasn't going to let that happen.

Li grinned and ran towards her in an attack attempt. She grinned at him, another kunai in her hand behind her back. "Come on then." She said teasingly.

Ling snapped his eyes open. He felt a massive amount of chi just a few miles away from him. He automatically sensed Lan Fan's and another that he didn't recognize. It seemed like they were in deep combat. He stood up quickly. "Lan Fan." he said, his voice lined with worry and ran off toward the fight.

(-)

Once he got there, he found Lan Fan standing over the man on the ground, and he was bleeding terribly. She had his katana in her hand and was grinning down at him. "It's a shame that your own weapon might kill you. You'd think if you were going to attack me you would keep it in hand instead of letting me take it so easily." She looked it over and saw his blood running down it.

When it came to threatening Ling, she put all joking aside. She wouldn't allow anyone to even come close to him. If it meant using deadly force, even if it meant suicide, she wouldn't let anyone even talk about it.

Ling smiled and turned to hide again. It seemed kind of silly that he thought he would even have to check on her. It was a natural kind of worry that he had. Even though she was serving him, he was sure that he would be nothing without her. He protected her even if she didn't recognize it.

She knew he was behind her, but let him go. They still weren't done playing their game. Besides, she thought it was best to let him think she didn't know he came. She stuck the katana in the ground next to the Chang clansman. "I'll leave you here so the rest of your clan can find you. Hopefully, you won't lose too much blood and live to see them again."

She turned away from him, her hair now flowing around her from the fight. The tie she had in her hair had broken, and she would have to wait until she got home to tie it up again. It was very rare that she let her hair down like this.

Ling was hiding between the willow vines, looking at the moon, which illuminated the entire sky now. He had completely forgotten that he was supposed to be hiding from her and felt her approaching. He hid behind the tree trunk.

Lan Fan felt him, and he was close. She smiled, looking through the vines, moving them out of her way and stepping through as agile and as quiet as she could. He had to be behind that tree trunk.

She walked closer to it and looked around it, but much to her disappointment, he wasn't there. She let out a breath, half amused and half annoyed.

She felt more movement behind her. She flicked out a kunai and had the person up against the tree, her kunai up to his neck and her hand pinning him against the smooth bark. She finally focused enough to realize that it was Ling.

"Hey it's just me, don't hurt me please." He said, holding up his hands and smiling at her nervously.

Lan Fan widened her eyes and blushed lightly. She had never been this close to him. She lowered her kunai and hand and put it away. "I—sorry young lord I—"

"It's okay." He laughed slightly. "I shouldn't have startled you like that."

She let out a breath. "I know you saw that fight." She said softly, looking down at the ground. "He came after me and told me that as soon as he was done with me, he was going after you." She trembled from the thought. "I couldn't let him do that."

Ling saw how serious she was about putting him before herself. He blinked at her. "I would have been fine if he came to me first. I can take care of myself Lan Fan."

Lan Fan shook her head, her vision still fixed on the ground. "You don't understand."

Ling crossed his arms. "Then explain."

"It's my job to make sure you don't have to take care of yourself. I put my life before yours, that's my destiny in life. Yours is to become this country's ruler, in perfect health." She said, her voice a little more strong than before.

Ling shook his head. "Lan Fan, you might have been trained to fight for me and even told to protect me, even if that means sacrificing yourself, but still…" He lifted up her chin so that her eyes met his. They were shining under the streams of moonlight through the vines of the tree. "If I am to rule this country, it means protecting my subjects. All of them." He smiled at her softly. "That means you too."

Lan Fan returned the gaze, a light blush still on her cheeks. Once again, she was uncomfortably close to him. She gathered herself and took herself out of his grip.

"Master Ling, you don't understand. That's not the point here. The point here is tha—"

Her sentence was interrupted and she found herself pulled close to him, and her lips locked in a kiss. Her eyes were wide and her breath was taken away. His hands were on her lower waist, but hers were glued to her side. This was wrong, all of it. He wasn't supposed to be doing this. If they were found, it could mean execution for both of them.

He kissed her with all the force he could. It was instinct that drew him to kiss her this way. He pulled her to him without giving his mind the chance to think about it and the next thing he knew, his lips were against hers. He could feel her tense up in his arms. He then felt her relax, and hesitantly raise her hands and place them on his back, and return the kiss.

Lan Fan didn't know what she just got herself into. The kiss felt like it lasted for several minutes, but it was only seconds.

Ling pulled away from her, his hands still on her back. She looked up to him, a very confused look of question in her eyes. He smiled. "Even if you are the one that's supposed to be doing the protecting, I am never going to let you give your life for me. I'm never going to leave you behind. You mean too much to me."

Lan Fan couldn't believe what she was hearing. She couldn't even believe she had the gall to return the kiss. Her heart was beating at a million miles an hour. For the first time in her life she felt fear. In fact, she wasn't sure what it was that she was feeling. It was definitely fear, but there was something else. She nodded at him; she couldn't find her voice to protest.

Ling smiled down at her. "You're mine whether you like it or not Lan Fan. Okay? I promise."

Lan Fan accepted his request, but came out as more like a demand. "What about the laws? We could both be killed for this." She said, her voice coming out strong, yet worried.

Ling shook his head again. "I won't say a word if you don't."

She sighed, contemplating the amount of trouble this could cause for the both of them. So much of her, her body and mind, were telling her to decline, to run away from the issue. Instead she nodded again. "Okay."

Ling hugged her again and smiled. This had become quite a game of hide and seek.

* * *

**I'm a sucker for forbidden love…**

**That ends Chapter Two!**

**I'll have the next chapter up in about a week. **

**Please leave a review, I like knowing that someone actually reads my story and likes it!**

**Thanks for reading!**


	3. My Sacrifice For You

**I do not own FMA or the characters, I own my idea.**

**First I would like to thank everyone that left a review and followed my story. I really appreciate the feedback!**

**This is Chapter 3- My Sacrifice For You**

* * *

"AGH! LAN FAN DID YOU HAVE TO BE SO ROUGH?"

Lan Fan had spent the afternoon, sparring with her brother and winning pretty easily. She laughed at her youngest and held out a hand to pick him up from the ground, a large bruise forming on his cheek. "This is a sparring match Pho; of course I had to be rough."

He took her hand, smiling at her and stood up. "I don't know why I underestimate you every time." He said with a small laugh.

Pho, her youngest brother, was like a best friend. Unlike the rest of their brothers, they had the closest relationship between them than the rest of them did. He was the only brother she had, besides her 7th and 9th brother, that didn't look down on her because she was a girl that was trained to become an assassin and bodyguard. Usually, women in each clan were stay-at-home wives or sisters. It wasn't very traditional for them to fight. Her grandfather trained her and her oldest sister to prove that women were stronger than perceived.

"Don't you have to protect your master today?" He asked, walking over to grab a towel and tossing her one.

She caught it and wiped off her face. He had managed to cut her cheek, but she could have one of her brothers heal it with alkahestry. She wasn't all that worried about it.

"Yeah, but he promised to stay in the palace while I came home to see you." She said happily. She had told Ling of her relationship with Pho, and protecting him meant that she spent little time at home. With a lot of swearing-to-God and pinky promising, he agreed to stay in the palace until she came back.

Pho raised an eyebrow and began walking down the hall to the kitchen. They were both starving. "He's pretty lenient with you isn't he?"

She nodded. "Yeah. But when I tried to protest that when we first met, he told me that I didn't have to act so uptight." She remembered the day they met like it was yesterday. Never did she think that she would end up being more than a bodyguard.

When they got to the kitchen, Grandfather Fu had already poured their soup into bowls and was enjoying his own at the table. "About time you two came. I've been yelling for you for hours." He pointed to the table. "Your food is there."

They both bowed to him and sat down to enjoy their wonton soup. It was Lan Fan's favorite, and no one could make it like her grandfather.

"Lan Fan, when you are done with your food, you should go back to the palace and watch the young lord." Fu said, continuing to eat his food.

Lan Fan nodded and immediately her mind drifted to him. That kiss last night sent her into a daze every time she thought about it. She had gotten used to the memory by now, and she had gone over all of the things she wished she had done when it happened but it couldn't be changed now. There was hardly any chance of her getting a kiss from him again for a while. They were almost always closely watched.

(/)

Ling sighed as he walked out onto his balcony and leaned against the cement rail. He wished Lan Fan would come back already; he was becoming terribly bored again. He had already beaten his brother at Chess five times, went down to the kitchen and eaten twice, and he even put in some exercise.

"Maybe I should have given her a time limit." he grumbled to himself. He wanted to go out and about the place, but he had promised her that he would stay in the palace. And the people of Xing always kept their promises.

But still, he was really tired of being cooped up in this place.

He hated to do it, but he had to break that promise.

In an instant, he had bounded off of his balcony and caught on to a few tree branches to lose some momentum on the way down to the ground. Once he got down to the ground, he began to walk. It was still pretty hot out, unbearably so, but it was better than staying cooped up in the palace.

He knew he would never hear the end of it from Lan Fan if she came back and he was gone. He had promised her a million times over that he would be there when she got back.

He couldn't help but notice the role reversal between them since they had gotten together. It seemed like she was telling him what do to, and he had to do what he was asked. He grinned. "I guess I've been too nice." He said to himself quietly, enjoying the breeze despite the hot air.

He kept on walking, getting bows from people in various clans and waving them off. He knew it was a sign of respect, but he felt they should have to do something like that while he roamed the streets in their own homes.

He saw a few couples and smiled at them. He wished that he and Lan Fan could walk around like that. But for sure, he would be banished and she would be killed.

A ball hit him in the back of the head and he caught it in his hands as he turned around. A little boy and his friends came up to him and looked scared.

"We—We're sorry!" The little boy said, bowing to Ling. The others followed suit. They were afraid of punishment, and they were sure it was coming.

Ling looked at the ball in his hands and then to them. "Stand up. You don't have to bow to me. Not here."

The little boy raised his head to Ling and blinked at him. "Why?"

"Because this is your home, isn't it?" Ling asked with a smile.

"Yes your majesty." The little boy answered. His friends also raised their heads cautiously.

"Then it would be rude of me to expect you to do that in your own home." Ling answered, putting a hand on the boy's head and ruffling his hair.

The little boy smiled. "Okay." He answered. The other boys ran off to continue playing their game. "Can I have my ball back now, your majesty?"

"Sure." answered Ling, giving him the ball.

The boy was about to run off and join his friends when he stopped and turned around. "Would you like to play with us, young lord?"

"What are you playing?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Kickball."

"How do you play that?"

The little boy smiled and grabbed his hand. "Come on, young lord, I'll teach you."

"Please, just call me Ling okay?" Ling asked politely. "What's your name?"

"My name is Ji."

(/)

That was it.

She was going to kill him herself and just have to pay the consequence with her own life.

She found herself looking into an empty room. No note, no trace, and worst of all, no Ling.

Lan Fan growled and aggravation. "Jeeze he's like a 6 month old baby!" She grumbled. She looked into her small room just off of his. They had her sleep there so that she could always be at arm's reach and at close proximity at all times. To her disappointment, he wasn't there.

She went out onto his balcony and looked down at the trees below. There were a few misplaced sticks and leaves. "He must have jumped off the balcony and made his way down with that tree." She explained to herself.

She looked out at the city, now bustling with people in midday. She sighed. "Oh please tell me he didn't." She groaned. She shook her head and jumped down off the balcony, just as he had. When she landed, she began to run off to the busy city.

She looked around at all the people, searching for Ling's familiar face. A few people smiled and waved at Lan Fan, wanting to stop and have a conversation, but she had to graciously apologize and walk away. It wasn't his best choice to go missing during the busiest time of day.

She laughed at herself.

Why was she wasting her time looking for him like this when she could sense his chi?

She relaxed and took a breath and almost instantly felt his chi flowing a few blocks away from her.

She began running off in the opposite direction that she was walking in. And he was exerting an incredible amount of energy. _"No."_ She thought, running faster, trying to push against the flow of people_. "Please tell me that's not what I think it is."_

Once she turned the corner to where he should have been, she sighed and a smile spread across her face. There he was, a group of children and adults alike surrounding him…

Playing kickball…

She pushed past the people standing around them and watched him play. He was deep into it, sweat flowing down his face. He gave the ball a kick, and began running to the second base but didn't make it in time as he was hit by the ball. Lan Fan giggled and watched as he stepped off the playing field. "YOUNG LORD!" Lan Fan yelled.

Ling snapped around towards the voice and smiled once he found Lan Fan. "Helloooo Lan Fan!" He waved. _"Shit she's going to rip me a new one." _He thought.

She crossed her arms and beckoned him over with a finger, a smirk graced her lips.

Ling ran over to her and smiled. "Uhm, hey Lan Fan. About staying in the palace…"

Lan Fan held up a finger. "I know you're having fun, but we have to go."

Ling pouted. "Awh, come on Lan Fan! It's so much fun."

Lan Fan raised an eyebrow.

He knew he was defeated in this one. "Okay." He said, frowning and turning to the boys and the crowd.

"Hey Ji! I have to go! We'll play kickball again soon!" He said, waving to the boy and his friends.

"Bye Ling!" They all shouted back, waving excitedly.

Lan Fan smiled and turned to walk. "Let's go." She said softly, and Ling followed suit.

She was happy that he had finally taken some time to go into town and try to get to know the people around him. She felt like he would make a great leader of this country someday, and she would do anything to help him reach that goal.

"It's nice that you went into town. Those boys aren't going to forget you for a long time. It's good to get people's approval." She said, walking down a sidewalk. They came to a courtyard and sat down. There was a glass memorial of emperors past shining brightly in the sun.

Ling smiled. "I'm glad you think so! I thought it would be nice to—"

"But don't think that excuses you from breaking your promise Ling Yao!" She yelled her voice a bit more fierce.

_"Shit, here it goes." _

"I leave for _three_ hours! Just three! With the promise that you'll stay at the palace that long and then you leave _knowing_ that there are guys waiting to kill you? Are you a complete IDIOT?"

"Okay okay, I'm sorry I won't leave again!" Ling retorted, his hands up and waving.

"I mean it Ling! You can't just—"

Lan Fan fell silent suddenly; her face now fell to a focused sort of blank expression.

Ling raised an eyebrow. "Lan Fan—"

She put her finger up to his lips. "Shh!"

She listened even more closely. There was a small beeping noise, and the beep was speeding up. Her eyes widened.

"Ling, MOVE!" She pushed him out of the way just in time as the memorial behind them blew up into pieces.

Ling was thrown back, both from the force of the bomb, and from Lan Fan pushing him. He landed a few feet away from her and coughed as the dust began to clear. "Lan Fan!" He yelled into the lingering cloud.

He found her laying a couple feet away from him and crawled over to her.

She coughed and opened her eyes and sat up quickly. But when she did, she felt excruciating pain in her side. She looked down to see glass sticking out of her, deep enough so that she would have to pull it out, but not so deep to kill her.

Ling blinked at her and pushed her hair back. "Don't move! You're hurt!" His hands moved over to the glass and Lan Fan moved his hand out of the way. "I'm fine! You go! Before they get here!" She ordered.

Ling shook his head. "I'm not leaving you!" He wouldn't. He told her that he would never leave her.

Lan Fan grinned at him and began to pull the glass out of her side with some difficulty and bit back screaming in pain. It had to come out, if she was going to fight the men that were coming.

And just in time too.

Five of them surrounded her, their weapons at the ready.

Ling looked back to her. "You can't fight Lan Fan. You're losing too much blood." He moved his hand over the cut. She groaned and stood up, moving his hand out of the way. She flicked her wrist, her kunai falling into her hand.

"You obviously don't know how I was trained." She said, getting into her stance and preparing for the men to attack. If they were smart, they would try after her to get her out of the way, before they went after Lan Fan.

Truthfully, Lan Fan's body was covered in scars, and stitches. When she and her brothers sparred, all except for her youngest brother, they did in real time. Which meant of someone got cut too deep, they were getting stitches. If someone got a body part chopped off, they would just have to live without it.

Of course, Lan Fan never gave any of her brothers that chance.

"If anything, it matches the cut on my cheek." She smiled.

Ling took out his sword and brandished it at the men surrounding them. "I'm not going to let you fight on your own."

Lan Fan sighed and growled impatiently. "No, you need to—"

She felt someone coming at her and stepped out of his target mark, turning around and kicking him in the ear, to confuse him. She caught his arm and twisted it behind him, her kunai at his throat. "It's going to take a lot more than a bomb to kill me." She said. She ran her kunai over his throat, his blood spilling on the concrete ground. She let him drop and turned to the next man up for attack.

Ling was in the middle of a sword fight with another man and found an opening to trip him and bring the man's feet out from under him. He caught his sword in his hand and ran him through with it, letting him fall to the ground. He looked over to Lan Fan.

She threw her kunai at the last man standing, she had already taken two down and had left one alive to get some information out of. The kunai stuck him to the wall and she walked over to him, holding his other shoulder to the wall and another kunai at his neck. "Who are you? Why are you attacking us?"

The man spat at her. "I ain't tellin' you nothin'! You're just going to have to kill me!" he yelled at her.

Lan Fan growled at him. "Have it your way then." She took the kunai from his neck and stuck it deep in his gut and watched as he fell to the ground, bleeding slowly.

She stepped back and turned to Ling. "My Lord, you're…you're…" She collapsed on the spot. Her blood loss was staring to catch up to her.

"Lan Fan!" yelled Ling, running over to her and lifting her head up into his lap.

Lan Fan opened her eyes slightly and saw him above her, a very worried expression on his face. She smiled. "You're okay. You're alive…" Then suddenly, everything went dark…

(/)

Lan Fan woke with a start several hours later, and found herself wrapped up in bandages, her would covered, but still pinching a bit with pain. She looked around and found herself in her small, yet comfortable room. Ling was looking out the window, the moon now high up in the sky and providing some natural light in the room.

He turned around when he heard her stirring and smiled. "Hey, you're awake." He said, walking over to her in his pajamas. "How do you feel?" He said, taking a seat on the bed next to her.

Lan Fan felt herself over. "I feel fine. Are you okay?" She asked, bringing a hand up to his cheek.

Ling put a hand over hers. "Don't worry about me. I don't even have a scratch thanks to you."

She smiled. "Good." She suddenly realized where she was and looked down to find herself in a purple silk night gown that barely touched the top of her knees. "How did I get here and in this?" She ran her hands over the smooth silk. "This isn't mine."

Ling smiled. "It's my sister's. I borrowed it from her since I couldn't fine your pajamas."

Lan Fan raised an eyebrow. "What did you see?" She asked suspiciously.

He grinned. "A little too much."

Lan Fan gave him a rough punch on the arm. "Ow! Hey I'm just kidding. One of the maids cleaned and dressed your wounds and put the gown on you." He said, running a finger over the strap.

She widened her eyes. "I supposed I'll be getting a punishment for this." She said, looking down into her lap. "I let you rescue me instead of me rescuing you."

Ling shook his head. "I didn't notify my father or your grandfather. I told them that you had gotten wounded but you made it back here before passing out. As long as you are awake long enough to get here, you won't be punished."

She smiled, grateful that he had taken care of everything in her favor. She felt so lucky to have a master like him. Other weren't so gracious. She looked out the window and sighed, another painful groan emitting from her.

Ling laid her back. "You should get more rest if you want that cut to heal." He said, pulling the blankets up to her shoulders. "I need my assassin in her best condition and soon." He joked.

She leaned back up and grabbed his hand, just as he was about to go back to his room. Ling turned around and looked at her, a bit confused. "Stay?" She asked. "Stay with me tonight please."

Ling looked back to his room and smiled. "Give me a second." He went back into his room and locked the door, so that the maids or anyone else wouldn't disturb him. Since her room was connected to his, it wasn't uncommon for this to happen and it couldn't be avoided. When he wanted privacy, he got it.

He came back, closed her door behind him, and climbed into bed with her. She smiled when she felt him behind her. He wrapped both arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him carefully, so as not to put any pressure on her wound. She snuggled closer to him, feeling the warmth of his body against hers, and smiled. There had been many times where she wished she could feel something like this, and now they were.

"You know you really scared me today." Ling said softly in her ear. "Getting injured that seriously and still fighting? That's dangerous you know?" Lan Fan shook her head. "It was a sacrifice worth making." She answered. She turned over in his arm, trying not to move so quickly and risk ripping the wound wider. She looked up at him, one of her hands on his bare chest, feeling his heartbeat, his chi flowing as free as she had ever felt it.

"That's my job. To take the plunge for you. To protect you." She said, moving her other hand to his hair. "It's in my training." She said with a soft chuckle. "Do you understand now why you can't run off without me? If you had been alone, you could be dead right now."

Ling shook his head. "I told you I would never leave you behind didn't I? I didn't want you to damage yourself more than you already were." He ran his fingers through her soft black hair. "I can't lose you. No matter what."

She smiled and cuddle to him, her head resting on his arm, but her hand still over his heart. "Alright. But I'm fine now, thanks to you."

He grinned. "Just don't scare me like that again okay?" He pulled her closer and they slowly drifted off to sleep together for the first time.

* * *

**There you have it! I hope you enjoyed the action in this one. I'm still getting used to typing out what's going on in my head. **

**I'll have the next chapter up soon! Please be patient with me ^_^ And I love getting reviews. **

**Thanks for reading!**


	4. Tough Lover

**I do not own FMA or its characters, I own my idea.**

**Another chapter of Ling and Lan Fan!**

**Thank you for the reviews I received on the last chapter, I really appreciate it!**

**Chapter 4- Tough Lover**

* * *

Lan Fan woke up the next morning, her room flooded with light. She didn't dare open her eyes, or the room might blind her. She really wanted some curtains, but that was Ling's call.

Speaking of the devil…

She heard a soft snore behind her and smiled. She now felt his arms around her, still being careful of her wound, his steady breathing behind her, and the warmth of his body radiating to her.

She turned over in his arms and looked up at him. His mouth was half open, a snore resounding in the room every time he breathed in. His hair was hanging over his cheek and mouth and she moved it aside. "Ling, wake up." She said in a soft voice.

He kept on sleeping, like he hadn't even heard her. She chuckled softly. So he was one of those men. It would take three bulldozers and a jackhammer to wake him up.

Lan Fan tried shaking him. "Ling, we have to get up right now." She declared, her voice a little harder. Still nothing.

She hoped she wouldn't have to resort to what she was about to do. She had never been that close to him, and she had only done it once. He might be her master, but he was still a boy.

She rolled him flat on his back and climbed onto him, straddling his waist. The smooth silk gown rose to her upper thighs. She felt a pinch of pain from her wound but ignored it by biting her lip. She put her hands on her hips. Still nothing.

She sighed impatiently and bent over, kissing him softly on the lips. She soon felt his hands snake up to her lower back and felt him kiss her back. Her hair fell over her shoulders and surrounded them, like a curtain from the bright room. She smiled into the kiss and let him at it for a while before she pulled out of it, her forehead resting on his. "So that's what it takes to get you awake?" She asked softly, still smiling.

Ling grinned and gave her a soft peck. "Well if I can wake up to that every morning then I might go to sleep with you more often."

She grinned and sat up completely, crossing her arms. "We have some researching to do today. We need to go to the library and look more into this Philosopher's Stone and Alchemy. And we also have some planning to do. So we have to get up now if we're going to try for this immortality."

Ling nodded and raised a hand to her bandages. "First thing's first, we need to get you to an alkahestrist and get you healed."

She ran her hands over his bare chest. "Getting you immortality is more important than my wound. It can wait until after we're done."

Ling sat up carefully, Lan Fan still in his lap. He kept his hands at her back so that she didn't fall backwards. "The library will still be there after we get you healed." He kissed her once again. "Don't be stubborn and let me get you healed first. You say you want to protect me but you're in no condition to do it now."

Lan Fan pouted. "I can still fight."

"Not without making your injury worse."

Lan fan sighed. "Fine." She shrugged. "Let's get it done first I guess."

She slid off of him and fell to her side of the bed while Ling got out of it and stretched. She watched the muscles on his back flex, and couldn't help but notice that the room suddenly got hotter than usual. She shook her head and stood up, walking over to her closet and picking out her usual black attire. Ever since she became Ling's bodyguard, she had no days to herself in which she could wear her other clothes, which were a little more colorful. She turned to Ling who was staring out the open window.

She put her clothes down and walked over to him, the sun just above the mountains and the breeze already blowing strong. She wrapped her arms around his middle from behind and hugged him. "There's something on your mind?" She asked in a low voice.

Ling shook his head. "This immortality that we're talking about, what if it's beyond our reach?" He answered ponderously. If this Philosopher's Stone is in Amestris, then they would have to cross the desert area. And that was a huge job all on its own.

"That's what we're planning and researching for. If it's really worth going through all the trouble then we'll have to take the risk. You know there are more people than just you vying for the throne." She said. "Don't think too much about it. Once we confirm our findings, if we find out more, then we'll talk about it."

Ling sighed. "You might be right." He turned around and looked down at her. "You sure you want to be a part of this? It could be a lot of trouble." He pulled her closer to him, looking for an honest answer in her expression.

She leaned up on her tippy toes and kissed him, her hand raised up to his cheek. "I'm your subordinate. Wherever you go, I will follow. Whether it means getting into trouble or not, I'll be right beside you taking some of the responsibility and pain too."

He smiled down at her. He was so grateful that she had been assigned to him, he didn't think he could have a more loyal subject than her. It warmed his heart, knowing that she would never backstab or leave him. "Alright then." He put a hand on her shoulder and then made his way to his own room to prepare himself for the day.

(/)

Once Lan Fan was healed, they headed over to the library, talking about what the possibilities might be and what they may have to do. It was going to be a long walk, it might take a few months to get there; they lived on the far east side of Xing. They would have to walk all the way across, and then prepare themselves for the Desert Area.

Ling sat down at one of the tables in the library and waited for Lan Fan to return with some books for their research. He hadn't been in here very much, reading was never really his thing. He saw some girls pass by him, smiling and waving flirtatiously and he politely waved back. He wasn't much of a ladies' man, but he enjoyed the attention he got. He was a prince after all, and the goal of many girls around here was to marry into royalty, or at least have a chance at it anyways.

Lan Fan came back with the books, stacked high, and dropped the stack in front of him. She had watched the whole thing, and she was hard pressed to say that it hadn't pissed her off. She was never jealous, none of them would never get as close to him as she did. If their relationship wasn't so secret, she would have pulled out her kunai and attached them all to a wall in a quick second.

But she did often wonder if Ling actually liked girls like that. Girls that were more feminine, pretty and of good lineage in the sense of money. Lan Fan's clan was not the wealthiest, and their main function was training to be bodyguards. And growing up with eleven boys and no girls, it made her a bit more tomboy-ish. She wore light blues and greens instead of purples and pinks. She didn't fly off the handle when she broke a nail or had to do some yard work. She never played with dolls, she played with weapons.

She had mud-wrestled with Pho countless amount of times and she loved it. She never had a problem with getting dirty. She didn't have a weak stomach, there was no room for that in her eyes.

She sat down across from him, still not saying a word and picking up a book and started to read. Ling looked around the stack, seeing her flat and concentrated expression. "Are you okay? You haven't said a word to me since we got here."

Lan Fan kept her eyes on the pages in front of her. "I am not supposed to speak unless spoken to My Lord." She answered. Formal talk was mandatory in public, especially with all the people around them. Anything less than how she was supposed to speak to him in public and people might find out their secret.

But right now, Lan Fan was just being stubborn. If he wanted to flirt with the pretty girls in the library, then she would let him.

Ling frowned at her and grabbed a book off of the stack in front of him. "You know I hate formalities Lan Fan."

"Yes My Lord…"

Ling scowled. He really hated it when she called him anything but Ling. Why was she being so difficult? He knew that their secret could get them into a lot of trouble, and they had to keep their relationship outside of privacy respectable, but she was doing it more so than before. She was tensed, not relaxed.

"The Philosopher of the West…"

Ling looked up from his book. "Excuse me?"

Lan Fan sighed. "The Philosopher of the West, Master Ling. He introduced Alkahestry to Xing a long time ago."

Ling nodded. "Yeah I know the story, what of it?"

"Well, he didn't only come to Xing, he went to Amestris, and spread the knowledge of Alchemy. It's not medically based like Alkahestry is." She continued reading. "While Alkahestry is the art of reading the Dragon's Pulse in the land, Alchemy is based off of the natural energy of the Earth. Of manipulating and changing matter into different means."

Ling continued reading in his own book. "Comprehension, deconstruction and reconstruction." He said out loud.

Lan Fan put her finger in the book. "As I told you before, they are responsible for the creation of the Philosopher's Stone, but it doesn't say how to make or obtain one."

"Well I'm no Alchemist, so even if we figure out how to make one, there's no way I'd be able to do it." Ling groaned, putting the book down. He looked at the rest of the stack.

Lan Fan put down her book and grabbed another, hoping that she might find the answer. Soon, there were no more to read and they sat there, Ling looking a little defeated, and Lan Fan looking deep in thought.

"I read that the Philosopher of the West is from Xerxes. They were a race of highly advanced sciences and the entire city was wiped out in a single night. He had to have learned it somewhere right? There's nothing more accurate than going to the source and starting from there."

Ling rested his head on his hand. "So you're saying if we go to Xerxes, we might find out more about this Philosopher's Stone?

"More or less." Lan Fan answered with a nod. "And then, if we don't find anything there, we can go on to Amestris and find an alchemist there that might know something about it."

Going to Amestris was going to be a long and hard journey. The Desert Area hasn't been populated since the fall of Xerxes for a reason.

"When should we go?" Ling wondered out loud. "My father is becoming worse and worse every day."

She nodded in agreement. "We should wait about six months. I don't think leaving now is going to be possible. They'll never let us go now, we're too young."

Lan Fan and Ling are the same age. However, Lan Fan is about two months older than Ling. She never told Ling exactly when her birthday was, because she felt that it really wasn't useful information.

Ling stood up and stretched. "Alright then. I think we have a plan." Some more girls looked over at him and giggled. A smug look came across his face and Lan Fan had to bite her tongue to keep from rolling her eyes.

She stood up and began putting the books back in their proper place. The library would be closing in ten minutes and it was dark outside. She needed to get him home.

Ling followed Lan Fan between the narrow bookcases and watched as she put the books away, her face concentrated, if not a little annoyed. She felt Ling behind her just as he turned her around, their faces close. He attempted to kiss her, but she turned her head. "That's inappropriate right now Young Lord." She told him, looking him in the eyes.

Ling blinked at her. "But, Lan Fan—"

"Please allow me to continue my task." She interrupted. She was being unreasonable, maybe even a little too strict. But she really wasn't in the mood. "Why don't you go talk to the pretty girls out there? They seem to enjoy your company."

So that's what this is about. "Is that what's bothering you? That I'm talking to those girls?" He intended to keep Lan Fan as his own, and didn't have a desire to replace her with anyone. How could she think of such a thing?

Lan Fan turned around and continued putting books away without answering. He never looked at her the way he looked at them. They were like eye candy to him, and she was like yesterday's news.

Once she finished putting the books away, she turned to him once again. "We need to leave, Master Ling. It's getting late." She began walking ahead of him as usual. Ling rolled his eyes, intending to talk to her more about this when they got back to the palace.

(/)

Lan Fan went to her room, leaving her door open for Ling. She knew that the talk was coming, but she didn't know when. He got into the shower while she waited, taking her hair down from her bun and combing it out. She didn't know what to tell him. She wasn't afraid to admit she was the tiniest bit jealous. The one time that she actually had someone to herself, and he probably thought she was trash compared to the girls that he had seen today.

Ling got out of the shower, pants and no shirt, as usual. She took her turn to the shower, letting the pure hot water run over her body. She never mixed her hot water with cold, and the bathroom steamed up as soon as she turned on the water. The water flowed through her hair, plastering her bangs down to her forehead. she quickly finished her shower and stepped out and caught sight of herself in the mirror.

She never really thought of herself as beautiful or good-looking either. No one had ever given their opinion on her looks, and since she looked at herself a lot, she couldn't see herself through someone else's eyes. She let the towel around her fall to the ground, her naked body now displayed in the mirror. She had so many scars, from sparring and the scar from her recent wound. She ran her fingers over them, tracing the darker spots against her pale skin. What if Ling ever saw her this way? Would he turn her away?

Lan Fan shook her head and pulled on her own night gown, which was blue cotton, and a little longer than the purple one that she had on last night. She fixed the straps and opened the door to head back to her room.

Once there, she found Ling, already lying in her bed. "Sleeping with me again tonight?" She asked, going over to her dresser and sitting down in front of the mirror.

"I thought that maybe my girlfriend would like my company." He answered, not taking his sight off of the ceiling. He wanted to know what was on her mind. Her chi was stagnating, he could feel it as clear as cold.

She began to comb her onyx hair, not even looking at him through the mirror. She found it hard to look at someone that wanted everyone else but her. She shouldn't have expected him to anyways. They had a master-and-subordinate relationship. He shouldn't even been in her room on her bed right now. "Are you sure you don't want one of those pin-up girls that we met in the library? They seem a lot more interesting to you." She answered coldly.

Ling turned his eyes to her, glaring at her a bit. "What's that supposed to mean?"

She finished combing, and turned around in her chair, standing up and crossing her arms. "I mean that I'm obviously not enough for you."

Ling stood up too and walked over to her. "Is that what everything was about in the library today? You were jealous of the other girls?" He asked, crossing his arms right back at her.

She looked up to him and shrugged. "You weren't convincing me otherwise."

Ling was a bit shocked at her accusation. Sure, maybe he did smile at them a little brighter than he should have, but that was no reason for Lan Fan to think that he didn't want her. "If I wanted them, I would have them, not you."

Lan Fan scoffed. "Oh, way to make shit better." She said sarcastically. Her heart broke a little, but she wasn't about to back down from the conversation. "If I'm such a hindrance, then maybe we should even be together anymore."

Ling growled at her. "Is that what you want? You want to break away from everything that we have so far just because you're being insecure and foolish?"

"I'm only insecure because you haven't proved to me otherwise that I mean something more to you than just a bodyguard!" She yelled. She hadn't mean for her tone to rise, but what he said sent her over the edge.

"Oh really? So me kissing you, taking care of you when you were hurt, falling asleep with you last night! That was nothing to you?" Ling yelled back, feeling a bit unappreciated. He began to walk closer to her, and she back away into a wall. "I didn't have to kiss you that night Lan Fan; I didn't have to get you healed. I could have just let you take the punishment, and I didn't have to fall asleep with you last night! I wouldn't have done any of those things last night if I—"

Lan Fan glared up at him. "If you didn't what?" She asked, her hands in fists by her side. "If you didn't feel obligated? Or maybe, if I didn't ask you to stay with me last night? Which is it Ling?"

Ling punched the wall beside her head. "If I didn't love you!"

Lan Fan felt her breath leave her at the word. She hadn't been expecting an answer like that. "Wha—what are you-?"

"I've had you by my side for two years Lan Fan." He said, looking back up at her. "That gave me more than enough time to figure out my feelings for you."

"We've only been together for a couple days." Lan Fan said, looking at him in confusion.

"Like I said, two years is more than enough time to realize that you're more important to me than any other girl around here." Ling answered. "You are more important, more beautiful, and more special to me than you even know."

Lan Fan didn't know what to say. She wondered why he waited until now to tell her this. If she had known that he kissed her because he loved her, not because of any other reason, she might not have felt so put out.

"I don't know what to say. I didn't realize…"

Ling lowered his hands to her waist, and pulled her closer to him. The last thing he wanted to do was fight with her. "I know. It's fast. And maybe I should have made my feelings a little more clearly to you in the beginning. But I don't want you to think that there is some other girl that's more important to me than you."

Lan Fan could barely say that she loved him. She knew that thinking of him made her heart stop almost instantly, he made her happy, no matter what he did. She always wanted him closer than anyone else could ever get. She nodded up to him. "Okay. I understand."

Ling reached down and unclenched her fist and replaced it with his hand, lacing his fingers with hers. "Besides…" He said. He leaned down and kissed her. "I don't need some overdressed, snooty girl from a wealthy family. I don't need her to wear the finest fabrics and jewelry and afraid to get her hands dirty." He said with a grin.

Lan Fan smiled, reached her arms around his neck and kissed him back. She was happy that she finally felt comfortable in her own skin. Telling her that he didn't need a girl like that lowered her worry significantly. She wasn't any of those things. "Oh yeah? Then what is it?" She asked, smiling back.

He lowered his hands to her thighs and lifted her up against the wall, so that she was eye level. She wrapped her legs around his waist, and felt as little wave of excitement. He put his forehead against hers, his hands resting on her hips. Her gown had risen up a little ways up her thighs, exposing her bare pale skin to him. A few of her scars showed and he ran his fingers over them. Her skin was covered in goosebumps.

"I need you. A girl with some experience, not afraid of a challenge. Smart, beautiful, brave. So skilled, yet so careful and loyal." He kissed her again, his hand now raised up to her wet hair.

Lan Fan blushed. So many compliments in one night, it made her heart swell. She felt a bit guilty for starting such an argument. "Thank you." She answered him. She kissed him back. "We should go to bed now."

* * *

**I really wanted them to have an argument because it showed the weight of the secret and how it affected Lan Fan. **

**I'll have another chapter up soon. With the exception that another idea comes to me that quick. **

**Thanks for reading and please leave a review!**


	5. Hard Luck Woman

**I do not own FMA or its characters. I own my idea**

**Well, my semester is finally over (YUS!) so I'll make these stories publish more rapidly.**

**But for now, here is Chapter 5- Hard Luck Woman**

* * *

Several months had passed since Ling and Lan Fan had made their plans to go to Xerxes, and then Amestris if need be, and they still weren't prepared. Lan Fan felt she had more training to do and Ling stuck around because he wouldn't go without her.

So on the days that she trained with her grandfather, Ling spent his time watching her or staying in the palace (with the threat of him sleeping in his own bed if he left without her). So he decided on the latter.

His birthday had passed already, and 15 was an acceptable age to venture on his own. But not without the protection of Lan Fan. He noticed that Lan Fan had been his age longer than he had, but did not remember her mentioning that it was her birthday.

He sat on the dojo steps inside the sparring pit, but to the side so as not to interrupt her training. Fu watched her and Pho fight together closely, so that he could effectively critique her strategy and techniques. He had no doubt in his mind that she would win, but the fight wasn't always about winning.

After three hours of critiquing, sparring, and then critiquing more, the training ended. She sat down on the floor, Pho giving her a heavy thump on the back as she looked up and smiled at him. Ling walked over and sat beside her, his legs and arms crossed. "Now I see how you defend so well."

Lan Fan shook her head. "You received lessons too didn't you? Maybe not from my grandfather, but didn't you have secondary defense lessons? In case I can't protect you…" She hated to say such a thing and the words felt sour on her tongue.

Ling nodded. "But I wasn't trained to do half the things that you do. I was only taught enough to defend myself."

Lan Fan had never seen Ling in defensive mode. She noticed that he carried his sword with him everywhere, but she had never seen him use it, even when they had their scrape in town. She couldn't argue it, so she shrugged instead. "I guess it's not my place to assume anything else."

She stood and brushed the loose strands of hair back. A lot of it had come loose from her sparring match and the bun in her hair barely held up. She let it come loose and it fell around her shoulders. She decided she needed to cut it again; it was getting too long for her to actively fight if she needed to.

Ling watched her and felt a small flip in his stomach. He always liked Lan Fan's hair. It was short, yet still beautiful. "Have you ever had your hair long?" He asked her out of nowhere, and standing up to follow her back to the palace. It was getting late and she had to get him home.

She started down the outside foyer and towards the front of her home. The wind blew through her hair, making her shiver a bit. She looked over to him and blinked. "I—uhm—no." She answered, reaching up to her hair and running her fingers through it. "It was longer when I was a child, but they cut it when I began my training."

They started her doing a lot of things once she started training. She no longer had her play knives; they had replaced them with real ones. She couldn't spend as much time with her brothers, and once she was old enough, they put her on birth control. Since she had become an assassin, there would have been no room in her life for having children, or even having a husband for that matter. Giving her birth control was like doubling the unnecessary protection.

But she didn't deny it; the thought of actually doing that had crossed her mind a few times ever since she and Ling had started their relationship. She never brought it up, or asked him about it. It was extremely dishonorable to ask him, even though they were keeping their relationship a secret.

To be honest, she wouldn't have minded if they never did it. She had never been given motivation to want to.

Once back at the palace, and after respectively greeting Ling's father, they went' on to the dining room to have some dinner before turning in for bed. Ling wasted no time in stuffing his face while Lan Fan waited patiently for him to finish. He usually ate before she did, out of respect, but he always told her that she could come over and eat with him if she so desired. She always refused.

The dining room was a very large hall, the walls decorated in red and gold. The table was very long, enough to seat the entire clan if need be and the wood was a very deep cherry color. The carpet was red as well. Red was decided to be a very powerful color, and a lot of the palace was covered in it.

To the side where Lan Fan sat was a chair, a lot less fancy than the ones at the grand table, but enough to keep her comfortable until Ling finished with his dinner. Lan Fan usually grabbed something from the kitchen on her way back to her and Ling's room and ate there.

A few of Ling's brothers came in a little while after them and sat down next to Ling, talking about the latest news about their father's sickness. Ling continued eating, as jovially as he usually did, ignoring the heightening conversation. Unfortunately, to no avail, because they pulled him into the conversation too. Lan Fan kept her eyes low; she didn't dare come in eye contact with any of them. Something about Ling's siblings made her skin crawl.

"So Ling, I'm sure you've heard about father's sickness. It's getting worse." One of them remarked, eating his food.

Ling continued eating. "I am aware of that, yes." He said continuing to eat. He wanted them to leave him out of the conversation. He knew they were going to try and get information out of him about what he was going to do about trying to gain control of Xing. And he made it a point to keep his idea to himself and Lan Fan.

His brother crossed his arms. "So, what big idea do you have to become emperor? I know you and that peasant have been sniffing around for ideas…"

Ling stopped eating and glanced over at Lan Fan, who still kept her sight to the ground, but could tell that her anger spiked at the insult. Instead of reacting noticeably at the question, he simply finished his food and wiped his mouth with the napkin politely before answering. It was all he could do not to kick his ass right now.

"I don't have anything. That would bring bad luck to the emperor and I have no intention in doing such a thing." He answered calmly and leaned back in the chair.

His brother scoffed. "Yeah right. You expect us to believe something like that. We noticed you've been in the library a lot here lately. You're after something, and I want to know what…"

Ling shook his head and smiled. "You're right. I have been looking after something." He stood up and put his hands in his pockets casually. "But I haven't gotten anything out of it, so there's no point in pursuing anything anymore." He began to walk away. Lan Fan saw him moving towards the doorway and stood, starting to follow him out of the dining room.

His brother wasn't giving up though. "I know you're planning something Ling. You and that ugly whore you have following you around…"

Ling stopped walking and Lan Fan gasped a little. Thankfully, her back was turned and he couldn't see her reaction. She was fighting the urge to draw her kunai; it would have meant execution for drawing a weapon against the royal family, even if she didn't engage him in combat. She wasn't made of glass, and an insult was nothing, but it still made her a bit angry. She bit her lip and dared to look up at Ling, whose eyes were widened in disbelief.

He turned around to his brother. "What did you just say?"

Li grinned. "I'm just saying. You had a choice in who you wanted to protect you and you chose a girl? You're sure to die in the next few months…"

Ling clenched his fists. Lan Fan kept her back turned, staying vigilant. The only thing that was going through her mind was "Don't kill him…he's royalty and he's not worth your own life…"

Ling shook his head and made his way to the door again. "You're dishonorably shallow Li. You have no idea who you're dealing with…" He said with a small grin. He knew Lan Fan's power. But his brother did not.

Li laughed back. "It's not being shallow, it's the truth." He remarked, watched the two walk away. "You hear me bitch?"

Ling stopped once again, this time his face was written in anger. Lan Fan looked over to him, noticing the fury written on his face. The muscles in his jaw twitched a bit. Calling her a bitch was worse than anything else he could have said to her. "Master Ling, it's fine. I don't care…" she told him softly, trying to get him to continue out of the dining hall.

"No…" He said through clenched teeth. "It's not fine…"

Before Lan Fan could stop him, Ling had his brother out of the chair, pinned up to the wall by his chest, and his sword drawn and at his throat. "Master Ling! Don't!"

Ling kept his eyes piercing his brother's, whose face was now covered with fear. "Insult me all you want, I don't mind…" Ling grumbled, pushing his sword closer to his brother's throat. "But insulting my subordinate is unforgiveable."

Li kept his eyes on the sword in Ling's hand. "I—I'm sorry…" He managed to get out against the pressure on his chest.

"Not to me! To her!" Ling yelled, and nodding his head slightly to Lan Fan. She had her hand up to her mouth, not believing that he had just attacked Li in such a manner over her. She shook her head. "No don't—"

"S-sorry…" Li strained out. Ling let go of him and let him drop to the floor. He replaced his sword back into his case and walked out of the dining room, Lan Fan fast on his heels. "Young Lord, you didn't have to—"

"Yes I did. And I don't want to hear anymore objections to it, understand?" Ling demanded, looking down at her and his expression still a bit furious. This was one of the few commands that he had truly given her.

Lan Fan blinked and bowed her head slightly. "Yes, My Lord. Understood…"

(-)

While Lan Fan took a shower, Ling had decided to go down to the kitchen and get her food, since she had completely skipped that part after the event in the dining room. When he returned, she was in the bathroom combing her hair, with the scissors sitting next to her. He placed the food down on the table in her room and leaned up against the door frame to watch her cut her hair.

"It breaks my heart seeing it all being cut off like that." He remarked with a smirk.

Lan Fan had decided on a shirt and pajama pants to sleep in tonight. It had gotten cooler as the months passed, and the days had gotten a few degrees cooler. It was still unbearably hot, but not so bad.

She finished cutting and looked her hair over for any uneven spots. "It has to be done so that it stays out of my way." She replied, and walked out of the bathroom, Ling following. She found the food on her table and smiled. "You got my food for me. How nice of you." She said, turning around to him.

Ling smiled back and walked over to her, putting his arms around her waist. "My beautiful subordinate has to eat, doesn't she?" He replied, giving her a light kiss.

She blushed a bit and pulled away from him and turned to the table to sit down and begin eating. "Thank you. I appreciate it." She bowed her head and began eating.

Ling sat down on her bed and watched her eat. She felt his eyes on her and looked over to him in mid-chew after five minutes of his watch. "Is there something wrong?" She asked with her mouth still full of food. She swallowed and threw the rest of her food away; she didn't want any more of it.

Ling shook his head and stood up to walked over to her. He held out his hand to her and smiled. Lan Fan blinked at him and took his hand. He pulled her up into a standing position and walked her over to the mirror. He stood behind her. "Look at you." He said, still smiling.

Lan Fan rolled her eyes. "Yeah that's me. Nothing special." She answered. "What is your point Ling?" She asked, still keeping her vision on both of them in the mirror.

He frowned a bit. "I want you to see what I see every time I look at you." He answered, trying to brighten her up a bit. He wanted her to know just how beautiful she was to him.

Lan Fan looked herself over again. "You want to know what _I_ see?" She asked. She pointed to her hair. "Short and plain." She said without waiting for an answer. She blinked her eyes. "Dark and dull." She bit her lips next. "Thin and straight." She ran her hands over her skin. "Pale and covered with scars." She pointed to a few areas on her clothing that had scars underneath them. She sighed and shook her head. "I don't know how you could see anything but that. It's all over me, plain as day. There's no way you don't see what I see in myself."

Ling watched her as she pointed all these things out. He wondered how many times she was even told she was pretty. She might have had more confidence in herself. He slid his arms around her middle and brought himself closer to her. "I see so much more than that in you." He took the ribbon out of her hair and watched it fall once again, this time shorter than before. "Short, but original." Her eyes came next. He turned her head to the side slightly so that he could look into them himself. "Dark, but deep and fierce." He smiled and kissed her, lightly at first and then with more force. "And your lips? Soft and full of love." He turned her back around and looked over her exposed skin. "All of you and your scars? Beautiful. Your body tells a story. A very interesting story..." He squeezed her tighter. "That's what I see. And I doubt there is anyone out there more beautiful or strong as you to me."

She tried to hold it back, but a smile spread across her face. She didn't see what he seen in her, but it made her feel more confident. She turned around and looked up at him. "About what happened in the dining room…"

Ling put a finger up to her lips. "I did it for you because you are beautiful. You're smart and you think more rationally than I do sometimes." He had to admit, he would never have thought of immortality if she hadn't have suggested it. The possibility of it made him want to pursue it even more. "And anyone who openly underestimates what you can do, and what you have done for me doesn't deserve to go unpunished."

She nodded her head. "I understand now. But you know that even though he did insult me, you didn't have to defend me like that. It could have given our relationship away." People could deduce things like that easily by actions as small as that. She didn't want any chances of that happening. "I appreciate what you did for me but I would have been fine. It's not the first time I've been called names like that."

Ling sighed. "I did it because I wanted to." He slid his hands to her lower back. Her arms instinctively linked around his neck. "If I can protect you from anything, it's insults." It sounded lame, but he knew she wanted to attack him just as much as he did. He only wanted to do it for her; he wouldn't be punished for attacking him but she would have.

She scoffed at him and smiled. "Thank you. For defending me."

He smiled back. "It was my pleasure." He bent down and kissed her again. "Are you ready to leave for Xerxes tomorrow?"

She nodded determinedly. "I'm as ready as you are."

* * *

**I'm sorry it took me so long. Writer's block struck me again. But I already have the idea for the next chapter saved and ready to be finished. Please leave a review! I appreciate the ones I get. And don't worry, I'll have some smut added in to the chapter after the next (I think). **

**Thanks for reading! **


	6. With Further Delay

**I do not own FMA or its characters. I own my idea. **

**I would like to thank everyone that left me a review. I am happy that I am fulfilling everyone's expectations and it gives me the motivation to keep on writing. **

**So here is Chapter 6- With Further Delay**

* * *

Lan Fan woke the next morning, feeling a lot more heavy than usual. Maybe it was because of the long trip ahead of them. She opened her eyes and found herself pressed up against his chest. She smiled and closed her eyes, wanting to feel this a little longer.

"You're finally awake."

Lan Fan opened her eyes and looked up to Ling, his eyes opened (somewhat) and smiling. "How long have you been awake?" She asked.

"For about an hour now." He answered, squeezing her tighter. "I wanted to watch you sleep for a while."

Lan Fan blushed. "You know to some people that would qualify as being perverted and creepy." She told him, trying to force a frown but giving him a smile instead.

Ling laughed softly. "Cut me some slack, this might be the last time I get to sleep with you like this."

Lan Fan softened her features into a more focused and serious one. "You're right."

He brushed her hair back a little. "Hey now, don't go getting serious on me. We haven't left yet."

She shook her head. "It's not going to Xerxes that I'm worried about." She told him. "What if we come back empty handed? What if this Philosopher's Stone is a bit farther out of our reach? Immortality…now that I think about it, it seems a bit far-fetched."

"You told me yourself that we have nothing to lose. It's worth the shot." Ling replied. "Now…" He kissed her. "We should stop talking about it. This is our time." He didn't want to talk about it right now. He wanted to spend time with her, without business talk.

She sighed at him. "We should get up if we're going to leave. It's best that we leave now so that we can cross the desert during the night."

She attempted to get out of bed but Ling pulled her back down and was on top of her in the next moment, both of her arms pinned back on the pillow by her head. She furrowed her eyebrows at him. "Ling! What the hell are you—"

Ling smirked at her and kissed her before she could finish her sentence. She tensed up a tiny bit, still reacting from the shock of such a rough and sudden action. Her wrists and hands struggled against his grip. His kissed fell more in passion, and she eventually relaxed. Her hands fell limp under his and her breathing slowed a little. He had never kissed her like this, and she was a bit surprised at him.

He thought it was safe enough to let go of her arms now and moved his hands down to her hips and her hand reached up behind his neck, making sure that he wasn't backing away from her any time soon. She found herself wanting more from him, and she never felt that before. It was a good feeling, but she didn't know where it was coming from. This is what it must have felt like to want something more from a loved one.

Her mind was still on leaving, but she found it hard to think about. His tongue ran across her lips, asking for access to meet her own. She obliged him and met his taste. She whimpered a little and sent chills down Ling's back. One of his hands ran down to her thigh, and continued to kiss her eagerly. She shivered a bit from his touch, but still didn't protest. Touching her this way, it was a foreign feeling. They had never come this far either.

He moved his kiss to her neck and she felt her temperature rise, her heart rate quicken and her breath almost taken away. It sent a shock through her body, and she could finally admit that he was actually turning her on. That spot, on her neck, she would never have thought that such a simple action could make her want to jump his bones right then and there. She wouldn't have known the first thing to do though; she was relying on her instincts right now.

Ling felt her twitch and grinned. His kisses turned to licks, which turned to bites. Lan Fan gasped inaudibly. Her hands moved to his back and her fingers dug into his skin. He growled at her in reaction. "Ling…" She said softly on borderline of a moan. "Ling we have to…" She tried to stop him, but she couldn't get herself to make the effort.

"I know." He whispered in her ear and raised his head up to rest his forehead on hers. "I know, we should go now."

She closed her eyes to take in the scene and opened them again, looking directly into his. "Yeah, we do." She replaced her hand on his cheek.

"We'll have another chance to finish this soon." He smirked and kissed her softly on the lips. He climbed off of her and out of her bed while she sat up and stretched, and she felt the heat rise from her. She wanted more, but he was right. It was time to go. She would get back at him soon. "Yes." She declared, her voice a little louder now.

Ling turned around and smirked at her while she had a kind of lustful look in her eye, something he never thought he would see.

"Yes…?"

Lan Fan stood up and walked over to him, close enough to run her fingers over his bare chest. He grinned at her. She smiled in return and bit her lip. "Yes we will."

He watched her walk away towards the bathroom and whistled with a slight laugh. "What the hell did I do to her?"

(/-/)

Lan Fan decided to go home and talk to her grandfather about her departure to Xerxes. Ling was still talking to his father about their trip, so she thought that this was the perfect time to go.

Pho greeted her as soon as she came in the house. "Hey Lan Fan." He looked her over and dropped his smile. "Why do you look so…bright?"

Lan Fan raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean I look bright? I look the same as I always do." She told him and continued walking. Pho followed after her. "Well you look like you're…I don't know…happy."

She stopped walking. Had Ling really made that much change in her from this morning? She tried not to show it on her face. "Are you saying that I never look happy?" She asked, turning around to look at him. Pho gasped and then rubbed his head in nervousness with a sheepish smile. "N-No I was just saying…maybe I'm just being over-judgmental."

Lan Fan smiled at him. But she wasn't sure how he could see that in her. She made sure to steel her features when she met her grandfather, especially if Pho could see it so easily. Then her grandfather could see it too.

She found him in the meditation room and took a breath. She hadn't told him about her and Ling's plans to go out west and she wasn't sure how he would react.

"Grandfather…" She called softly, lowering to her knees and bowing to the ground. "I've come to talk to you."

Fu opened his eyes and turned around. "Lan Fan? What is it?" He asked, his voice coming out rough and deep.

She sat back on her knees and looked up to him. "The Young Lord and I…" She started but found it hard to force the words out of her mouth. She decided it was best just to say it all, not to try and beat around the bush. "The Young Lord and I have decided to head out west. To Xerxes. As a means to find a way for him to become emperor." She said all in one explanation.

Fu grunted with a bit of question. "And how is going to Xerxes going to help him become emperor? That city has been abandoned for years."

Lan Fan nodded. She knew that question was coming. "I thought that since the only way to become emperor and keep it that way would to be to gain immortality. And from what I have read and deduced from our research, it is possible through the combination of something called the Philosopher's Stone and Alkahestry." She bit her tongue a little. "But there is no information on how to make or obtain one in the books here. So we decided to go to the source of alchemy and if we can't find anything there, we are going on to Amestris."

"Hmm." Fu hummed and crossed his arms, thinking about the possible danger they could face by going after such a thing. "It makes sense. I believe that Master Ling would make an excellent emperor. He has the right mindset for it." He was confident in his granddaughter's skills but it didn't keep him from worrying about her. "But that country, Amestris…I don't trust it."

He had read lately that Amestris had many conflicts and wars going on since the founding of the country. It was a troublesome place and he wasn't sure he wanted them to go on there. Fu didn't want them to become involved in that country's affairs. Xing had its own problems to deal with. Like a complete anarchy if no one had what it took to step up and become emperor.

Lan Fan listened to him carefully and nodded. "I understand grandfather, but please, allow me to accompany Master Ling. He needs my protection." This was only half true; she knew he could take care of himself, but she wanted to protect him, not only as a subordinate, but as a lover.

Fu saw the pleading in her eyes and studied her for a moment. He had never seen this look in her before. Like there was more reason for her to want to stay by his side. But they wouldn't take such a risk, they knew the consequences. It was a foolish thought, and he shook his head. "You may go, but only if I accompany you."

Lan Fan blinked at him. "But grandfather, my brothers need you here with them, there's no telling—"

"Your brothers can take care of themselves. They are grown men and they know every single training technique to keep themselves in shape. But since you two are crossing the border into strange lands, it's best if I go with you. For guidance." he explained and stood up.

Lan Fan wanted to argue. She didn't want him pulled into any of the mess that she and Ling might encounter. She would never forgive herself if anything happened to her grandfather. Instead, she bowed once more. "Yes grandfather. I understand."

Fu grunted again in approval. "We leave tomorrow morning. Be sure that you and the Young Lord are ready."

That ruined their plans to leave today. She nodded. "Understood."

(/-/)

Ling was walking back to his room, his hands shoved in his pockets and a slight frown on his face. The talk with his father about going to Xerxes and Amestris went better than expected, and also bitterly. He hated being doubted, most of all by his father. It was angering by default.

He had walked into the hall and gave his father a curt yet respectful bow. "Father, I've come to talk to you about my departure."

The man coughed a little, his face nearly aged and seemingly delicate wrinkles lining his face. His long hair hung grey and a bit frazzled from lack of care. Ling assumed he hadn't bothered to mess with it lately; he didn't do it himself, but he probably wouldn't let the maids touch it.

"Departure?" The man repeated, his voice a bit hoarse. "Where are you going?"

Ling answered him almost immediately. "To Xerxes. I'm going out to pursue immortality and a cure for your illness." The second part wasn't a complete lie but it also wasn't the truth. The "cure" was only if the emperor lived long enough to benefit from the stone.

"Why do you have interest in Xerxes? It is an abandoned city, there is nothing there." The emperor stated.

"Because, my subordinate and I believe that we can find a Philosopher's Stone to gain immortality and—"

"Immortality? That is indeed the most absurd thing I've ever heard in all my life." The emperor managed to let out a wheezy sort of laugh. But Ling didn't even let a corner of his mouth curl up.

"We believe it can be done. Using the alchemy out west to make one and then combining it with the Alkahestry here can prove to be quite successful." Ling continued, crossing his arms. He stood firm in this belief. It could be possible and he knew with all his heart that it could be done.

The emperor stroked his long white beard with his wrinkled and spider-like fingers. "It does not concern me where you travel to. I do not think that you will come out successful. It is your own choice, to chase after the impossible, and I will not stop you from making a fool out of yourself. "

Ling didn't waver in his words. He was used to them; his father was always a little less than pleasant with his children. It wasn't hard to see why; there were so many of them it wasn't easy to pick favorites. So he had none instead. Ling bowed in response and turned to walk out of the grand hall, the walls lined in purple. The grand hall was the only room with no red. Purple was a symbol of power and leadership, and was scattered in the hall fittingly so.

Ling stopped in his venture and kept his back turned to his father. "I will gain immortality. You can bet on that." he told him, his voice neutral, but serious.

The emperor grunted in response as Ling continue making his way out of the hall, more determined to find this Philosopher's stone than ever.

(/-/)

Ling met Lan Fan in the foyer on the way back to his room. She gave him a quick, curt bow and started walking with him. "So, are we ready to go?" he asked. Lan Fan blinked at him. His tone, it sounded so hard, if not angry.

"Actually no, I needed to talk to you about that." Lan Fan answered.

He stopped walking and turned around. "We need to go now Lan Fan. Without delay."

"And I know that. You know I was ready to go just like you are. But my grandfather…"

Ling raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"I told him about our plans. About going to Xerxes and then going to Amestris if need be." She started. He began walking again. She lowered her voice. There was no telling who might be listening, despite the empty hallways. "About the Philosopher's Stone." Her head was down.

"Yeah, go on…"

"He says that he believes that you would be good for this country, but does not want us going to Amestris alone. He decided that he is to be coming with us. For guidance."

Ling mulled the thought over in his head. He and Lan Fan were fine on their own with researching, but Fu knew a lot more and had more experience in his life. He could prove useful on this mission.

He didn't speak again until they got back to his room. He locked the door behind him and took off his jacket and unlatched his sword from his chest and threw them on the table. Lan Fan watched him walk off toward the balcony, the hot sun beaming down on it. She wondered what he was so upset about.

She took off her black shirt, her white tank top under it, with her explosives holster and laid them on his table as well, keeping her eyes on him, then joined him, standing behind him still. There were too many people out for her to come any closer to him.

"He doubts me."

Lan Fan blinked. "What do you mean?"

Ling sighed. "I told him what we were pursuing. He called me a fool and told me that he would let me chase after the impossible."

She shook her head. "You know your father is always a little less than encouraging. I doubt he would have been happy that you told him that we were going after immortality to get him out of the chair."

"But what if he's right? Maybe this is a wild goose chase…I know, you and I have been confident and doubting this since we came up with the idea, but this is really a thin chance. What if one of you get hurt, or worse killed, and I come back empty handed? All of this would have been giving with no take…"

Lan Fan listened with an open heart and mind. He was afraid. Not just that he would come back with nothing. But that he would come back with nothing, with either herself, or her grandfather dead. Or maybe even both. It was the danger of losing them that made him doubt the mission. She got an idea. He needed to open his mind, but in a positive way.

She turned away from him and slipped off her shoes. She turned her gaze to his bed over and for not being slept in for almost 6 months, it looked pretty messy. She sat down on it and scooted back. It was softer than hers, the blankets red silk. "Hey." She called.

Ling turned around and looked at her, a bit confused. She waved him over and he stretched his arms as he walked over to her. He kept his hands behind his head. "What are you doing?" He asked.

She put a finger up to her lips and held out her hand to him. He took it and she pulled him down to her. Her legs were parted so that he could sit between them, his head rested on her chest and her arm crossed over his, one of their hands were holding the others, their fingers linked together. Lan Fan took the ribbon out of his hair and let it down.

He felt himself relax a little and let out a breath. "What is this all about?" He asked softly.

She continued to play with his hair. "You need to relax a little. _Sukoshi rirakkususuru…" _

Ling smiled. He didn't admit it aloud, but he liked it when she stroked his hair. It was a little odd, but it relaxed him. "_Anata wa tsuneni okonau koto dake shi tsu…_You always know just what to do."

"I know why you're afraid. But I assure you, that everything will be fine." She told him softly. "My grandfather has been trained well and has trained me well. You have nothing to fear but the tiny possibility of someone besting us." She didn't want to lie to him; they weren't invincible, but they knew enough to get out alive.

He smirked. "I can't lose you. Either of you."

"I know. I know you mean well. But like it or not, we are the two that will take the bullet before it reaches you." She told him. "A King without his people is not a king, but people without their king are lost as well."

He squeezed her hand. "And without you I am nothing as well."

She smiled. "If anything happens to me or my grandfather you have to carry on Ling. This country is bigger than just the two of us. He knows the risk and I know the risk. Like it or not, we're coming with you." If she didn't go with him at least, that would be breaking her promise to him.

Ling grinned. "You are stubborn…"

"I have to be and you know that."

Ling turned around, his face just inches from hers. She smiled at him. "What is it?"

He kissed her and smiled. "I'd be lost without you."

* * *

**So about the Japanese and Chinese whatsit in this chapter. I always thought that Xing was a kind of toss up of Japanese and Chinese stuff. I could be wrong and maybe I could just call this creativity. But I decided that the names would be Chinese and the language Japanese. Yes, I am aware the translations are probably rough but guess what? Not everyone is an expert on languages. I rely on Google translate and dang proud of it. So I don't want any reviews concerning my translations because I just explained myself okay?**

**Please leave a review? I love that people actually wait on my publications, it makes me happy ^_^**

**Thanks for reading!**


	7. Fade Into You

**Disclaimer: I do not own FMA or its characters.**

**Chapter 7- Fade Into You **

* * *

After their conversation on Ling's bed, they had both eaten and spent the day preparing themselves for the trip the next day. Lan Fan made sure she had all her weapons together, her flash bombs and grenades, and, of course, her kunai. She usually didn't use explosives in a fight, only as a last result. Her grandfather insisted that she take them with her on this trip.

The day came to an end and they both retreated to Lan Fan's little room off of Ling's. She sat down on her bed and fell back, her eyes closed, and sighed. "I don't think I can get any more prepared," Lan Fan remarked. "I'm more ready than anything."

Ling sat next to her and took the ribbon back out of his hair. He had to tie it back in once they got up from their little moment, to disregard suspicion. To walk around with his hair hanging down like that would have raised questions he didn't want to answer. "Yeah, same here. I can't tell if I'm excited, anxious or just plain scared," He grinned. He looked down at his hands, and watched them shake for a moment. "Look at me I'm a mess." He said with a rather ironic smile.

She sat up and looked at his hands. They had to be at least twice as big as hers. She put hers in his and squeezed it. "Try not to think about it. We're on our way tomorrow and it won't take that long." She wasn't sure what else to say to him. She wasn't an alkahestrist, so she couldn't calm him or anything.

Ling smiled at her. He felt so lucky to have her. And she had no idea. She still felt a bit distant from him, like she wasn't comfortable with herself. He wished he could close that distance. "Lan Fan, I want to ask you something and you must not lie to me."

She looked over at him in a bit of alarm. Another order that he rarely gave her. "What is it?"

"Do you love me?"

"Why would you ask me something that silly?"

"That's not the question I plan on asking you but I would prefer an answer to it."

Lan Fan laughed. "Yes, Ling. I love you. Now give me the question." She bit her lip in anticipation. A question that he gave an order to answer truthfully. That probably meant he was going to ask her something that she would probably want to lie about.

Ling smiled at her and took a breath. "Do you feel comfortable with yourself?"

She blinked at him blankly and then raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean-?"

"I mean like are you happy with the way you are. Your personality and how you look…"

She hadn't really thought about it. Ever since the night that they had assessed her appearance to him in the mirror, she felt a lot better with herself. She didn't need anyone else's approval. As soon as he told her what he seen in her, she let all of her confidence flourish.

"Of course I am. You're the one that made me gain that confidence."

Ling nodded and now it was his turn to bit his lip. He wanted to ask her, before he made the action. Like he did that morning. She didn't seem like she minded, if anything it made her more open to the idea. But he wanted to ask her properly.

He ran his fingers lightly over her palms, tracing the lines in them. She looked down to her hand and watched his fingers make their run. She smiled. "You're about to ask another question. It has to be serious." He always did trivial and subtle things like this when he made serious and quick decisions.

He let out a breath and looked over to her. "Look at me."

She lifted her eyes to his and their eyes met for a moment, for once his eyes open wide enough for her to meet them. She was sure expression was curious. "What is it? Spit it out Ling." She was beginning to get nervous.

"Can I trust you?"

Lan Fan raised an eyebrow. Another silly question. "Is that even a sentence?" She answered. Can he trust her? She had been by his side, for 3 years now, about to become 4, and he was asking if he could trust her?

Ling sighed at her. "I need to know that you'll never betray me. That I can depend on you to pick me up when I'm down or ready to give up. I have strength but I'm never as strong as when I'm with you."

He was being cliché at the moment, but she tried to overlook that and soak in his words. "I won't betray you because that would not only bring shame to my family and our clan," She answered. He was about to open his mouth to reply but she put a finger up to his lips, already anticipating what he was about to say. "It would mean that I wasn't sincere in my answer about loving you. Of course, the mission and my formal allegiance are first and foremost. I will not put my emotions before my duty. But I need you as much as you need me, and our clan needs you too." She finished. "I will do whatever it takes to get you back safely and with a solution in your grasp."

She felt like she was repeating herself, but she needed to get that point across to him. The more he kept worrying, the more she kept worrying and it was like an endless cycle. They needed peace of mind, and her doubts only brought her back to her original worries. The same went for Ling.

He nodded and gripped her hand tighter as he pulled her into his lap playfully so that she straddled his waist. She blushed an angry red from the sudden movement and looked at him with a mix of embarrassment, confusion and anger. "You have the most confusing mood I think I've ever experienced." She said to him, not at all returning the loving gesture he was giving her by placing his hands at her back, tracing the thin line than ran down it and then running over the dimples at her lower back. She wasn't used to this kind of conduct, and honestly it was like he was trying to get her out of her hard and formal shell. "And what are you doing? This isn't right, me in your lap like this."

Ling leaned up to kiss her, as her body was now a bit elevated compared to his and she sighed at him and met his lips, colliding them together with some force. They parted and he found a smile on her face instead of her previous concrete one.

"I know you like being this close to me." Ling told her smugly.

"Oh yeah? How do you figure that one out?" She shot back, a very victorious smirk on her face.

"Hum, I don't know…" He answered a bit playfully. "Maybe it was the way you kissed me…" He kissed her on the lips. "Or the way you held me closer…" He tightened his arms around her waist, emitting a soft chuckle from Lan Fan. "Or my personal favorite…"

"What's that?" She asked, looking down to him with an inquisitive look.

"Do you really want to know?"

"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't."

He grinned before moving his lips down to her neck, first kissing her, subtly licking over the spot and taking the skin between his teeth to bite her gently. Her breath hitched a bit and her fingers ran up in his hair, pressing his head deeper into her neck. Her head moved down to his shoulders and it was like her entire body had relaxed into him. It was like a break down point for her. That simple action rendered her helpless and weak to him.

Once she slackened her grip and raised his head up to smile at her, now his turn to feel as if he had won. She looked down to him and rolled her eyes, laughing a little under her breath. "You found my weakness, so what?"

"So it's a weakness then? Note taken."

She frowned at him. She then moved his jacket over his shoulders and unbuckled his sword holster to throw them both aside. There was nothing more there except his skin, which was decorated in muscles. She moved her fingers up his back, as he had done to her earlier. She leaned down to kiss him behind his ear, and her fingers gripped his back. He let out a low groan and she smiled. "That was my favorite reaction." She whispered in his ear.

"Getting brave are we?" He returned the gesture and took off her white tank top, lifting it over her head and his hands capturing her back once again. She only had on a simple white bra now, her pale skin barely contrasting. He planted a kiss on the top of each breast while her hands still worked in his hair. As much as Lan Fan hated to admit it, she was beginning to enjoy this.

Every voice in her mind was screaming at her to stop before it gets too far, but her body and her heart wanted more. She wanted to see where this would go. She was in Ling's capable hands now. She loved him enough for what it would turn into. They were young, but it wasn't uncommon for people of the same age to get married even. Seeing as it could never happen for them, she didn't see another reason why they shouldn't.

Ling felt as if his mind was blank, completely void of anything besides his growing desire for Lan Fan and of what was to come next. She wasn't stopping him, so he didn't.

She kissed his shoulder and then made her way up to his neck and them to his jawline before meeting his lips once again. They were softer this time, however more passionate, and it seemed each kiss became more and more desperate and forceful. Her hands now moved to the back of his neck, pulling him closer though it seemed they could get any closer than they were now.

He suddenly stood up and moved his hands to her thighs to keep her up while her legs tightened around his own waist. She pulled away from the kiss and raised an eyebrow. "We're going to my room." He said and kissed her again while he walked out of her room and into his. He had already locked his door, and the balcony doors were closed with the curtains drawn; there was no way for anyone to see them now.

Soon she felt the familiar soft, silk sheets under her skin, the red coming into view. He was now suspended over her, still kissing her just as passionately and as lovingly as he could transmit. Lan Fan could feel ever word he couldn't say put into it. They broke away for a moment to catch their breath. Her shale colored eyes blended with his before she spoke. "Please, show me." She hoped he knew what that meant by the look on her face, and the previous actions they had partaken in.

He blinked at her a moment and smiled. "Okay." He might never have had sex himself, but he knew what he was doing. He heard the conversations and he read the books (discreetly of course). He had to make this special. For the both of them.

She smiled and pulled him back down into a kiss, her arms criss-crossing over his back. He wrapped his arms under her back and pressed her body against his, the only thing keeping them from being skin-to-skin was the snow white bra she had on. He reached his hand down to unclip it. Lan Fan felt it come loose and he laid her back down, her head on the soft red pillows, then pulled the bra away from her stunning body.

He kissed her once more and ran his hands over each breast, her entire body shivering from the contact and goosebumps rising all over her skin. He now laid his body over hers and found her lips once again, his tongue running lightly over her lip until she allowed him access and their tongues colliding.

He loved every minute of this so far, the feeling of her skin against his, her eager kisses colliding with what he gave her.

Soon, they were both void of clothes, their bodies tangled together and both on edge from the excitement. Despite the cold air now surrounding them from the dark of night, both were sweating. He parted their kiss only for a moment so that he could position himself at her entrance. She felt the contact and bit her lip in anticipation. Although she was warm, she was also wet. It felt strange to her, but it must have felt good to Ling.

Ling looked back at her to meet her deepening gaze. "Are you sure? Are you sure you want me to—"

"Yes. It has to be you. No one else could compare. I know you love me and that's all the reason I need."

He smiled at her and kissed her tenderly. He pushed himself in and faltered when he felt some resistance. He didn't want to hurt her, but it had to be done. He looked at her with a worried expression on his face. "Don't worry about me. I've felt worse haven't I?"

He let out a breath and pushed himself through without giving her a warning. He thought it best that way, to get it over with quickly. He felt her tighten around him and squeezed the sheets of either side of her body. She bit her tongue and closed from the pain but it was over in a moment. She opened them back up and stared longingly into his eyes.

"Lan Fan…"

"Yes?" She answered almost breathlessly when he began pushing himself in and out of her.

"I love you…"

"I love you too…"

(-/-)

Ling woke up what seemed like hours later and kept his eyes closed. He felt a bit light, yet worn out and let out a yawn without opening his eyes. He wondered why he felt so drained but remembered what had happened between him and Lan Fan. His mouth curled up into a smile. It was the best thing he had ever felt, and was the best thing he thought he had ever done. With someone that he loved, he couldn't have asked for anything else. His muscles were a bit sore, but it was worth it.

He finally opened his eyes and looked over at the clock. It was 2 am; he had been asleep for four hours. He ran his vision back up to the ceiling and kept it there until he heard a soft sigh beside him and saw Lan Fan, her back to him, still sleeping. Her hair fell behind her, looking as if it had been strewn across it neatly, some of it still lingering in front of her. Her body lay gently over it, the white skin seemingly threaded into the fabric. She had pulled it up to cover her front, but it only fell to her lower back, her dimples visible, but the rest concealed.

He scooted over and put an arm over her, and pulled her closer to him. He could feel her warmth carry over to him. She was like a security blanket, a drug of some sort. He could not sleep comfortably without her in his arms. It was a habit he had picked up now that they had been sleeping together for so long.

She subconsciously put a hand over his arm and smiled a little. Ling felt her soft fingers run over his skin and opened his eyes again to make sure he didn't wake her. She was awake fully now and widened her smile. "Ling…" She said, her voice cracking slightly yet still managing to come out smooth and soft like it usually did.

"Damn, I woke you." He answered with a frown. Lan Fan rolled over in his arms and kissed his chin. "No, it's okay. It's good that I woke up."

"You just looked so beautiful laying there, I didn't want to ruin it." He told her. She laughed at him. "I was only asleep. How is that beautiful?"

"You don't know because you don't see yourself."

She laughed at him again. He could be so funny in the craziest of times. She settled back into his arms and he pulled her closer to kiss her forehead.

"Thank you." She told him. Ling raised an eyebrow. "Thank you?"

She shook her head. "Nevermind."

"No, tell me. Please." He made sure to ass the please at the end. She didn't have to tell him if she didn't want to, but he wanted to know what was on her mind.

"Truth be told I don't know how to explain it." She shrugged. "Just know that what you and I did tonight was special to me and I will never forget it."

He let out a breath and nodded. "You're welcome. I will never forget it either."

She smiled a bit and sat up in bed, mindful that she was still naked and pulling the sheets up with her. "Where are you going? Why don't you just stay in bed with me in my room tonight?" He asked, sitting up also and feeling a bit disappointed.

She wrapped the sheet around her and looked back to him with a smile. "I thought that maybe I'd like a shower after all that." Ling watched her slim yet curvy form make its way to the bathroom. She flicked on the light and he saw her seductive expression from the light. "Would you like to join me?"

* * *

**So sorry I didn't get much into the smut but I was not in the smutty mood and I'm sure you could tell. **

**I hope you liked this chapter though! I spent a week working on it, erasing some things and adding things in. **

**Thanks for reading and please please PLEASE leave a review! :D**


	8. Something Like Fire

**A/N: Before I do anything I want to thank all of you for the fantastic reviews, even the ones threatening me to write one or they would kill me (0_0) I really appreciate the enthusiasm though 333 **

**Chapter 8- Something Like Fire **

* * *

The next morning left Ling wondering how Lan Fan could manage to slip out of his arms without waking him up. He blamed it on her training, but part of him knew that wasn't it. He was a heavy sleeper, but even moving like that could at least get him half-awake.

He was lying on his side, his arms stretched out in the previous spot where Lan Fan had been sleeping, the red silk sheets scrambled around and wrinkled in some places from her restraining grip. He opened his eyes and found that he was looking at nothing but the white plaster wall. He groaned a bit and turned over to look at the time; 8 o'clock in the morning.

Lan Fan had been in her room, dressed in her black top and pants, her usual attire. She came out of her room wrapping her hair up in its bun and made a finalized knot in it. She smiled at him once she saw him sitting up and stretching, rubbing his eyes like a child. "About time you were awake, I was just about to come get you."

She had woken up earlier, despite their lack of sleep that night, so that she could prepare herself. She made sure her kunai were tucked away in her sleeves, her utility belt had all its weapons, and her studded wrap around her wrists to keep the kunai from falling out on its own, with her fingerless gloves. She didn't pack any clothes; Fu had all of that covered. And they didn't pack much because they would be crossing the desert, and it was hard work enough carrying their own bodies across.

He blinked at her sleepily and yawned. "Why are you up so early? I thought we weren't leaving until ten?"

Lan Fan walked over and sat beside him. "I have a little more to get ready for. And I'm about to go visit my mother." She had made it a point to visit her mother's grave before leaving. Somehow she felt it might give her some closure, and good luck. The strength needed to make it through this mission.

Ling, now fully awake, nodded. "I see." He leaned over and kissed her gently and she returned the gesture, raising a hand up to run through his thick black hair. "Take your time, don't rush." He said to her softly. He knew how much Lan Fan had missed her mother; she had told him how strong their relationship was. Besides her older sister, she was the only daughter she had. For months after she was killed, Lan Fan wouldn't speak. She was too hurt to utter a word. She could admit, she was pretty bent on revenge and still was. She wanted to find her killer, but she was too young and not yet trained.

Lan Fan nodded and let her hand fall down in her lap. It felt as if every time she blinked, the memory of last night flashed over the back of her eyelids. Her stomach flipped a little and her heart skipped a beat. They had done a very treasonous thing, yet she had no regrets and she wasn't in the least bit scared. She stood up and made her way to the door. "Make sure you are dressed and ready by the time I get back understand?"

Ling stood up and started to shuffle over to the bathroom, yawning once more and running his hand through his hair. "Yeah okay…"

"I mean it. If you aren't dressed by the time I get back won't give you a single kiss while we're gone, and that includes any other activity besides that too."

Ling stopped walking and looked over to her sheepishly. "Oh come on, that's not fair. It's not like we can anyways, not with your grandfather along with us…"

"My point exactly. Now go." She pointed to the bathroom and closed the door behind her.

He blew her a raspberry after she closed the door and walked to the bathroom. He was a bit lazy, and the threat was tempting. She could say that she wouldn't touch him at all but he knew what to do when she denied him. He chuckled to himself and looked himself over in the mirror. He had bite marks and bruises all over his neck, and a few scratches on his back. He whistled and ran his hands over them. "I'm gonna have to tell her to go easy on me…" He muttered to himself. He wasn't too worried about someone seeing them. He could have had sex with tons of girls in the palace, but in reality he never would.

If anyone asked, he would just dismiss it. He didn't have to explain himself to anyone, especially when they asked what he did in his spare time. He was careful not to give Lan Fan the same treatment, though it was tempting, but he knew that if she was asked, she couldn't not answer. And he didn't want to cause them any trouble.

He looked back at the time and noticed that fifteen minutes had already passed and it wouldn't take her long to get to her mother's grave and back. Even though he was pretty smug about not being able to touch her, he found himself almost breaking his neck to be done by the time she returned.

***(-)***

Lan Fan breathed in the fresh air of the mountains and early morning dew as she walked through the field red tulips (she picked a few of them up), leading up to her mother's memorial stone. She came up here at least once a week, telling her about anything and everything her heart desired. She complained about Ling, reassured her that she and Pho were still getting along…like she was alive and sitting right in front of her.

Her black pearled eyes ran over the many graves of her clan, once she reached grave site. Her family went on and on for generations, some of the stones leaned terribly to one side, the lettering weathered, and the ivory now stained grey and brown. Up in the front were the elders and pass family members, but farther to the back is where familiar people resided. The stones were a smooth, white marble, with black lettering and a thorough list of sons and daughters chiseled into the backs of them.

As she walked back, her sister's stone lay right in front of their mother. Lan Fan stopped and bent over in a respectful bow. She didn't remember her sister, she was killed before she got a chance to be able to remember her. Before moving on, Lan Fan kissed the tips of her own fingers and ran them over the top of Yuki's stone, then laid a single tulip on top of it before moving on and stopping in front of her mother's.

The wind blew her bangs to the side a little, hiding her eyes from the prying sun. Before she couldn't even look at it without tearing up, but she had somehow built immunity to it. Ling told her this was a telltale sign of denial, but she could never deny her mother's death. She was gone, and there was no bringing her back. No matter how badly she wished to see her mother again. Her grandfather had told her a million times that they looked exactly alike, as if they were cloned. She felt that as long as she held that trait, she could keep herself alive.

Instead of bowing as she did to Yuki, and got down on her knees and sat back on them, her head bowed. She lifted her eyes to the words on the stone, 'Jin Yao' and then the listing of all of her sons and daughters, 14 of them. One of the boys had not grown up with them; He was somewhere in Amestris as the rumor had it. He wasn't fully Xingese, as her mother had an experience with an Amestrian. No one knew the full story, but Lan Fan was a bit curious and wondered if she might run into him if they went to the country.

"Hello mother…" Lan Fan greeted softly, now fully looking up. "I came to see you before I went away." She managed to fight a smile through. "The Young Lord and I are going to Xerxes, and then if need be Amestris. To be quite honest, I'm a bit scared. I hope this is all worth the trouble we might be getting ourselves into, but don't worry; Grandfather is accompanying us." She thought for a moment. "Ling and I made love last night. And I know if you were here you would probably be angry at me for taking such a risk. But I love him, and I don't have any regrets. I needed to tell someone, it might as well be you." She felt a lump in her throat and swallowed hard before continuing.

"Anyways, I miss you terribly. But you already know that, I tell you every time I come here…" She laid the rest of the tulips in front of her mother's grave. "So do you mind giving me some good luck and blessings? Because I think I might need them." She felt some tears form in her eyes and let them fall. She didn't want to stop them. "You always told me that I am as strong as I will myself to be. But I only focus on my weaknesses." She laughed a bit. "Why do I do that? Is it normal to think the worst in these kinds of situations?" Her fingers folded in her lap nervously as the tears began to come harder. She let out a quiet sob. She didn't know why she was crying now. Why it hurt so much to be here and then know she was leaving with the chance of not coming back.

She put a hand up to her mouth to calm herself a bit before speaking again. "I have to go now. Ling and Grandfather will be waiting on me." She bowed her head before standing up, wiping away her tears and a stony and unmovable expression rippled across her face. "_Watashi wa anata no moai suru…_" After a few lingering moments of almost feeling rooted to the spot, Lan Fan reluctantly turned away and made the long walk back to the palace.

***(-)***

Ling had been dressed, ready, Dao sword over his shoulders and sitting on the floor cross legged when Lan Fan returned. She had managed to get herself back to normal, so that she didn't look like she had been crying. She smiled once she saw him there and closed the door behind her. "I guess the incentive was enough then?"

Ling smirked and stretched a bit. "You know, I would have gotten you to touch me sooner or later if I wanted to. I just didn't want to go through all the trouble."

"It's all mind over matter. I don't have to surrender to you if I don't want to. I'm not that susceptible." She replied, crossing her arms and scoffing at him.

Ling stood up and walked over to her so close that she very nearly had to look up at him. Her expression didn't waver, though she did have a light pink blush splashed across her cheeks. "What?" She inquired sternly.

He bent over and kissed her lightly. She uncrossed her arms and her hands raised up behind his neck as if to pull him closer. This was it. Probably the last long, meaningful kiss that they would be able to share. He pulled back and smiled. "We should go before Old Man Fu gets on our case about being late."

Lan Fan frowned at him. "Old Man? Do you have to be so brutal?" She asked him and turned away for the door. "He might be old but he can still kick your ass." She opened the door and smiled a bit.

Ling laughed. "If he fights anything like you then I don't even want to be on that side of his chopping block."

***(-)***

A few hours later, Ling, Lan Fan and Fu were all looking out at the ocean of tan sand. The trip out of Xing was no problem, in fact, they were all still standing directly on the border.

Mr. Han moved his hood back and looked across the desert and putting a hand up to block the scorching sun from his view. "Well, you've got about a one day, one night trip across the desert." He told them. "It's best that you start right now, if you want to make it to Xerxes by tomorrow afternoon."

"Then we won't be sleeping until we get there." Fu thought aloud, but talking more to Ling and Lan Fan. He turned to Mr. Han and bowed. "Thank you, for escorting us this far. You have my gratitude…" He looked up and grinned. "Old friend."

Mr. Han smiled. "No need for gratitude Fu. You saved my life, you know that if you need anything, anything at all, just give me a holler." Mr. Han knew the desert backwards, forwards and in all directions. Mr. Fu had counted on him to help them get at least this far. Fu could get them Xerxes, but they would be on their own getting to Amestris. Still, he was in control of the situation. Mr. Han has a family of his own to get back to. They didn't want to drag him all the way into the desert.

Ling and Lan fan bowed respectfully to Mr. Han as he rode away on his horse and all three turned to the scorching hot desert. Neither Lan Fan nor Fu had decided to put on their masks. It would surely get hot too and burn them. They would only put them on if they had to go to Amestris. Ling was confident that they didn't, he wanted nothing to do with that country.

"We should get started…" Fu told them both and all three began to walk.

Ling looked back to Lan Fan, who was following behind him. His heart broke a little at the strict look on her face, the kind that he had to chisel through when they first met. He hoped that he would never have to see that expression again, but since her grandfather was there, she couldn't smile, kiss, hug, give him the soft expression she wore behind closed doors.

She was looking around the sand dunes and then noticed him looking at her and blinked at him. It was all she could do to suppress a blush. Tensions with their relationship had run higher, now that there was no room for error. She almost wished that she had never gone that far with him in the first place. Maybe it would have kept her from wanting him so badly at the moment.

***(-)***

"Lan Fan…"

"Yes Young Lord…"

"I'm hot…"

"We are in the middle of a desert Master Ling, it can't be avoided."

"Lan Fan…"

"Yes Prince?"

"I'm hungry…"

"You ate the last of the food three hours ago."

Ling had never gone this long without food. Usually he could eat whenever he wanted to. But Fu had cut down the food supply, because it could go bad in the heat. He only packed dried goods, like beef and pork, and since Ling started to complain, neither Lan Fan nor Fu could object to him eating all of the food. Luckily, he managed not to drink all of the water, and they still had their canteens full. If nothing else, they needed liquids. But they couldn't drink too much, for cause of expelling all of their fluids and dehydrating, and they couldn't drink too little, because without it they still might be dehydrated.

He had also managed to convince her that he could no longer walk, so she had one arm around his waist, while one of his own wrapped around her shoulders, and he managed to continue moving his legs as she walked. "How come you aren't hungry yet?" He whined a bit.

"Lan Fan began her training in the mountains with no food or water packed with her. She had to find it on her own or starve." Fu explained for her. "In a three week period, she only ate twice a week." She wasn't sure how she did it, but she managed to stay in good shape while she trained. "In short, she can go at least two days without food and be absolutely fine."

Ling raised his head to look at her, yet she kept her eyes forward, not wanting to get tempted. "Is that true?"

Lan Fan nodded. "My grandfather does not lie about such things Master Ling, of course it's true."

Ling was a bit shocked. Not even he was trained that way. Suddenly he felt spoiled. He let out a breath. "Lan Fan let go of me…"

She looked over to him in shock. "But Young Lord you—"

"I can carry myself. Now let go." _Please_, he wanted to add. But he didn't want to cause any trouble for them.

She blinked at him for a moment from the command and nodded. "Okay My Lord…" She steadied him on his feet before letting him go. He started walking after Fu while Lan Fan stood there, feeling a little dumbfounded, and continued walking after them.

His knees still felt a bit weak, and his head swam from the heat exhaustion, but he held himself up and kept walking, his back straight, leaving a slightly impressed Lan Fan in his wake.

***(-)***

The night had fallen and Lan Fan was hard pressed to say that she wouldn't love to be in her bed by now. To lay in the soft, white cotton sheets with Ling right behind her and holding her close until the sun rose up. She sighed audibly, knowing that she wouldn't feel that for a while.

Ling looked back to her, his expression equally exhausted. He saw the exhausted expression on her face, but mixed with something else. Almost like disappointment. He bit his tongue and continued walking, knowing exactly what she was thinking. He clenched his fists and kept walking. "Fu, how much longer until we get there?"

"It shouldn't be that long. We have made excellent time, we're a bit ahead of schedule," answered Fu, looking down at his watch. He stopped walking and narrowed his eyes around them. Ling and Lan Fan stopped walking and looked around a bit confused.

"There!" Fu pointed somewhere to the northwest. Ling and Lan Fan peered through the darkness, their only light being the moon. "Just over that dune there."

"I see it." Lan Fan replied. The stones of the ruins rested in the distance, standing out white against the seemingly gold and tan sand. It looked so broken down, the outward appearance giving her the impression that they probably wouldn't find anything there but old buildings. The manuscripts and books were probably taken from the site for historic and personal gain from other countries.

Ling noticed the relic too. "Almost looks as if we might not find anything there." He commented, reading Lan Fan's mind.

"We might at least find some shelter there and somewhere to sleep. It looks like a few of the buildings are still standing. We won't know for sure if they're structurally sound until we get there." Fu told them. He put his watch away and turned to the two of them. "We should keep walking. We should be there within the hour. The quicker we move the quicker we can rest."

Lan Fan nodded and Ling blew out a breath. He looked to Lan Fan, who gave him a hopeful look and he turned back to the direction of Xerxes. "Alright, let's keep moving…"

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**A/N: Once again thanks for the reviews but feel free to leave more! I hope you guys liked this chapter, I was kind of stuck between having them arrive in this chapter, but I needed to leave room for the next chapter. **

**Anyways, thanks for reading! **


	9. Do It Now, Remember It Later

**I do not own FMA or its characters…never will…**

**Chapter 9- Do It Now, Remember It Later**

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"Wow this is…"

"Not what I was expecting…"

Ling, Lan Fan and Fu had reached Xerxes, while it was still in the dead of night, and now found themselves looking up at the broken down architecture, walls that once housed people, and some stones that had sunken into the sand. Oddly enough, it seemed that the only thing that seemed alive in the whole city was a fountain that was still spouting crystal clear water.

"So Lan Fan, what do you make of it?" Ling asked, looking to her. It was her idea to come here; he needed to know what she was thinking. She knew more about this Philosopher's Stone than he did.

She nodded at him and ran her dark eyes over the white structures. "I'm not fully sure Young Lord…" She answered, after looking around for a while. She looked back at him. "I won't have any clues from just standing here. Perhaps we should venture deeper." She knew it looked small from where they were standing, but there was probably more. This did use to be a thriving, bustling city full of knowledge. It would be foolish to be so small.

Fu grunted in approval. "Alright then. While we're at it, perhaps we can find some shelter while we look." He began walking, while Ling and Lan Fan followed.

"It's really dark. Do you think you'll be able to see anything here?" Ling asked her. "We could wait until tomorrow morning. Then we'll have all day to figure it out." Hopefully, they could get what they needed and head back to Xing. Amestris sounded like a real bother.

Lan Fan nodded in response without saying anything more. She didn't think she could talk much more. She had been trained to go without food, but she couldn't help but feel weak. She liked to eat, and she ate Ling under the table sometimes. And it had been a long time since she went this long without food. She wouldn't tell him or Fu that of course. She kept her stature straight, her eyes pierced and her weapons ready.

Fu didn't have to slice through her outward appearance, because he could feel her chi run weaker and weaker. He knew she was a lot stronger than that, it seemed that the Prince had spoiled her a bit.

As they went farther and farther into the city, the buildings that had managed to hold together appeared. "You two stay here while I go to make sure these are going to hold up. We should find a roof over our head at least." He told them in his rough voice and walked ahead.

Lan Fan turned around behind her and found a wall. She disregarded it at first until she saw some markings. It was broken at the top, like the rest of the ruins it looked as if it used to be a part of a structure. It looked like a circle, something like the one she saw in the book she read at the library. There was a pentagon inside that circle and each vertex that touched the circle had the picture of suns, and then something else she couldn't make out in the darkness. "Ling, look at this…"

Ling turned around and looked at the rather unstable-looking wall. "What is it?" He asked, walking over to stand beside her.

"I don't know, I can't see it very well. Hard to see when you rely on moonlight." Lan Fan answered. "It does look like the circle I saw in the book. But something is different about this one…"

Ling looked it over and decided that he had about as much idea about it as she did. He had taken a glance or two at the book too, but he had no idea what to make of it. "Do you think it might help us with our search?"

Lan Fan put up a finger to her lips. "It might take some annotation but I think I can manage." She was not a scientist, so she would leave the sciences to someone else. "But I definitely won't know anything until tomorrow morning."

Ling couldn't help but feel a bit excited and anticipated. The only thing keeping him from what might be the secret to immortality and his place as emperor was the darkness. Oddly enough, it felt a bit right. He wanted so many things for his country, especially for him and Lan Fan.

He turned his vision to her studious one, as if she was trying to part the darkness to be able to see the helpful manuscript. He smiled at her. What he wouldn't give right now for just one hug. This is the longest they have gone in their one year relationship without at least an embrace. It felt like it was something they were programmed to do.

"Hey! Over here!" Fu yelled to them from a building not far from the fountain they had just been by. This also meant that Ling and Lan Fan would not have any trouble finding the wall in the morning.

Lan Fan turned in the direction of her grandfather's voice and yelled back. "Coming!" She began to walk. "Let's go Master Ling…" Even though she said that to him, she made no movement from the spot she was in, but looked back to the array. She just couldn't take her eyes off of it, not even for a second. She felt that if she did, the lines might fade into nothing. Then their hunt for immortality would be lost.

Ling put a hand on her shoulder and she turned her head to look up at him. She was met with a smile and he could have sworn he saw the pale cheeks flush pink under the almost dark sky, his vision only aided by the moonlight. She blinked at him for a moment and then began walking in the direction of the building. "You shouldn't do that. What if my grandfather was watching?" She asked him, keeping her vision ahead of her.

Ling gasped a little and then started following her, his expression now as set and his lips pressed into a thin line. "You're right, I should be more careful then." It was safe to say that he was a bit put out. He couldn't even _smile _at her now? She was right of course, but did it really hurt to give her a friendly smirk? She was right of course, but he still couldn't help but feel a bit rejected. Maybe they shouldn't have done anything last night.

Once they reached the building, a white two story one that had a living room the size of Lan Fan's bedroom back in Xing, Fu had already laid out their palettes on the floor. It wasn't much, but they were comfortable. He made sure that the most comfortable one went to Ling. They might be sleeping on the floor, but he was still a Prince, and a prince received the best treatment possible.

Lan Fan took a seat on hers while Ling went to look around the rest of the house. "Be careful not to go onto the second floor Master Ling, it's highly unstable and dangerous." Fu told him. He had already fallen through. The wood had been so weak and weathered, he was lucky he wasn't unfortunate to have good balance in his age. He could really have hurt himself. "I'm going to get some water from the fountain. Stay put and keep a keen eye on him Lan Fan."

Lan Fan nodded. "Of course grandfather."

As soon as he left, Ling and Lan Fan went through the house. There was a china shelf, looking as if the delicate plates and bowls hadn't been touched fittingly for years. Yet, they didn't have a single crack, and not one was out of place. People must have missed this house when they came from other countries and ransacked the place. Lan Fan picked up a plate and wiped off the dirt, revealing soft and delicate white porcelain, with flowers twisted around the edge. They were in blues and reds. "It's beautiful." She remarked, still running her fingers over it.

Ling took the plate from her and looked it over. It was similar to the tea set they had in Xing. "Yeah, I guess." He placed the plate back on the shelf and kept moving.

The doorway behind them led to a kitchen, or so they both assumed. There was no refrigerator, as was expected since they hadn't been invented until recently. The sink of dusty, the cabinet doors either hung open or simply didn't have one. "I can't believe that someone, maybe someone with a family, used to live in this place." Ling remarked. "I wonder what happened. There's no way this place could have been wiped out in one night."

Lan Fan shook her head and ran her hand over a table, the dust picking up on her fingertips. "I wish I knew." She replied.

Ling looked over at her and read her expression. It was almost like she felt sorry for the people that used to live here. "What's on your mind?"

She looked over at him and smiled wanly. "You're telling me you aren't thinking…" She trailed off a bit. "They say this place was wiped out overnight." She started. "I just keep thinking…how many children didn't get to grow up? How many teenagers and young adults never got to reach their goal or feel something as special as falling in love…how many married couples never got the chance to grow old together and die…" She bit her lip.

Ling softened his expression at her and opened his eyes enough to truly see the expression on her face. The only reason they had experienced what they did is because they ignored laws and regulations. And now, she was thinking of how spoiled she was, or lucky even. He looked out the window and down into the living room to make sure her grandfather wasn't there.

She looked over to him and furrowed her eyebrows. "What are you checking for?"

"For this…" He walked over and wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close to his body. He had wanted that feeling since they left. It seemed like forever since he got to hold her like this. It was going to be a long trip. He bent down to kiss her, deeply, almost as if he had no intention of releasing her lips from his. She reached her hands behind his neck. Outwardly she might have been responsible and careful, but she had been wanting this feeling just as long as Ling had.

Once the kiss was broken, she moved her hand to his cheek. He could feel the steel from the studs on her gloves on his skin, strangely cold despite the climate. Her eyes sparkled under the dim moonlight coming through the window. He smiled at her. "You have no idea how beautiful you are…"

She rolled her eyes playfully and tapped his cheek with her hand lightly. "Sometimes I wonder if you're actually telling the truth or if you're just delusional." She laughed. She pulled away and held onto his hand for a moment. "I'm okay. We'll figure out what's on that wall and we'll be on our way home before we know it."

***(-)***

The next morning, Ling woke up to both palettes empty and the sun shining through the window brightly. It was uncomfortably hot, and he really would have killed for a nice cold bath. "_The fountain_!" He thought and stood up a little quicker than he should have and staggered out of the house.

The sun seemed to bore into his skin as soon as its rays hit his back. He had forgotten his shirt was off and decided against going back to get it. He was about to be naked anyways, he didn't need it. He raced to the fountain and with Lan Fan nowhere in eyeshot, undressed the rest of the way and stepped into the cool water. He could have sworn that his skin sizzled a little as he sank down to his eyes.

Lan Fan and Fu were steady staring at the wall. "So…?" Fu asked after she had studied it for about an hour. She hadn't moved an inch, the only thing moving on her was her eyes, which seemed to scan from one symbol to another. There appeared to be a symbol similar to the symbol on the Amestrian flag, called a two headed dragon. And then another symbol, which Lan Fan had decided to be a word, but she had no idea what it said. Whatever it was, the dragon was eating it. She shook her head. "This would be a lot easier if I were an alchemist, but I'm not."

Fu shook his head and crossed his arms. "The Young Lord will be furious. We came all this way for nothing."

Lan Fan looked it over a moment more. The top part of the array had been missing. She looked around her, even at the surroundings, but the pieces weren't there. She looked back at the wall. "Maybe not all is lost…" She said under her breath.

"What do you mean?"

Lan Fan pointed at the dragon. "This symbol, it's on the Amestrian flag right?" She started. "And you told me the story of the Philosopher of the West."

"Right, go on…"

"What if that same man, went to Amestris also to teach alchemy instead of Alkahestry?"

Fu looked away from the wall and at his granddaughter. "How can you come to such a conclusion? It sounds a bit farfetched."

Lan Fan was way ahead of the question. "If we learned Alkahestry, they had to have learned Alchemy from someone. It's pretty much the same thing, but in Xing we use it primarily for medicinal uses. From what I've read, Amestrians are currently using their alchemic elite for military purposes. For combat."

It all started to make sense to her the more she thought about it. And in the book she had been reading when she found out about the Philosopher's Stone, it mentioned that alchemy had been responsible for its creation. All the more reason to go to Amestris and find an alchemist to talk to.

"So you're saying we need to go to Amestris after all?"

Fu and Lan Fan turned around to find Ling, back in his shoes and pants, but still shirtless. He had been listening…well, mostly. "We need to go to Amestris and find an Alchemist and see if he or she knows how to create a Philosopher's Stone or get us one."

Lan Fan nodded. "Yes Young Lord. It appears that we must make the trip to Amestris. If my assumptions are correct, that is the only we have of finding you immortality."

Fu started back to the building they had been sleeping in. "Then we should waste no time getting to Amestris. It's not long to the border. We'll have to be stealthy getting in though, there's border patrol there, no doubt."

Lan Fan smiled. She loved stealth missions. She wasn't sure why, but there was something about being right under someone's nose without their knowledge that gave her such a rush. "My pleasure grandfather."

Fu smirked back at his granddaughter. That had been her specialty even before she started training. She spent so much of her time hiding from her brothers, that she learned how to evade them and prank them too without being seen and being gone in the blink of an eye. She had speed on her side too.

Ling blinked at her. He had never seen that expression on her before. It was mischievous, evil even. He shook his head and grinned at her. She rolled her black pearled eyes over to him and blushed lightly. "What is it?" She asked curiously.

He shook his head. "I'm just a bit amazed." He said. "Every time I think I've got you figured out and that I've seen it all, you never fail to amaze me and show me something else I've never thought possible from you."

Lan Fan watched her father disappear behind the wall and she walked over and kissed him. Ling laid a hand to her lower back, disappointed when he didn't feel his favorite part of her, her dimples. She trailed her kisses to his jawline, her fingers running lightly over the muscles on his chest, to his six pack and stopped at his waist. Her lips then went to his ear and she smirked while she whispered into it. His skin rippled at the feeling of her breath on his skin. "What can I say? I'm full of surprises."

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**A/N: Sorry I took so long to update! I was spending time with my mother for the holidays and really got too distracted to update again. Thanks for reading and please leave a review! I really appreciate it!**


	10. Locked Out of Heaven

**I do not own FMA or the characters…just my idea ^_^**

**Another chapter of Ling and Lan Fan. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 10- Locked Out of Heaven**

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Lan Fan and Fu discussed going to Amestris and after having a master plan of getting in, went back to Ling and told him of the plan. Fu went through his pack and tossed some hair dye at her. She caught it and looked it over. "What is this?" She asked, a bit confused.

"The best way to get into Amestris is hiding in plain sight. So, we are all going in as Amestrians." Fu answered.

Lan Fan blinked down at the dye and furrowed her eyebrows. "Blonde? Isn't that a little too much?"

Fu shook his head. "Since your hair is black it will only go down to a dirty blond color." He handed her a red dress and shoes. The dress looked like it would hug her upper body, but flow around her hips. It was just a bit longer than her knee, and her shoes were flat. He knew she hated heels. And he didn't want to push her that far out of her comfort zone. "Go get ready."

She nodded but halted a moment. "What about the Young Lord?"

Fu took out a suit. "He'll be fine as long as he's with us. Their military allows immigrants to enter with Amestrian citizens."

Lan fan sighed and looked at the dress. She wasn't too sure if she was going to like this mission, or this part of it at least. She looked out the window of the building and found Ling still staring at the wall. She would go and stand with him after she was done changing.

She did find it a bit astounding that the houses deeper into the city still had running water. She let it run for a moment to get the century-old water out of it, and commenced on her hair color.

Ling continued looking at the wall, cursing it and himself. Why couldn't it give them the information they needed? The top part was missing, and he was sure that it had to have held the secret they were looking for. Even if it was still attached to it, they would have to study alchemy and Alkahestry. Ling let out an exhausted sigh. "Sounds like too much work…" He said to himself. "But…" He looked from picture to picture. There had to be more to this than it seemed.

He walked closer to it and ran his hand over it. If this people were wiped out in one night, how did this building fall apart? The people were gone and it couldn't have been them that knocked it down. He scaled the wall and ran his hand over the break in the wall. He furrowed his eyebrows. "It looks like…someone took a bite out of it…" Who the hell could bite through stone like this though?

"I really wish you'd come down from there, it's really not safe."

Ling turned around and looked down at the woman there. He tilted his head to the side and jumped down from the wall, cushioning his landing with his knees. "Who…Lan Fan?"

Lan Fan rolled her eyes. She knew he was going to have this kind of reaction. She let her hair down from the bun it was in. She had the dress on, the upper hemline stopped at her waist and the fabric flowed out from there. She kept her boots on for the time being. Flats could get sand in them, and she didn't want to deal with that. "Quit staring…you're making me nervous." She blushed.

He walked over to her and ran his hand through her hair. It was soft, but very light. It was just a little less than blonde, lighter than she had been expecting. She had taken care to do her eyebrows as well, or it would have been a dead giveaway. To him, she looked like a brand new person. "You…uhm…"

Lan Fan saw something she never thought she would see before. He blushed. And deep red too.

She smirked. "You're blushing."

Ling blinked at her and pulled his hand away. "N-no I'm not!" She just looked so cute, sweeter than before. Her eyes set perfectly with the color in her hair. And the dress? He stepped back and looked her up and down.

"I didn't even know you owned a dress." Lan Fan shook her head. "I don't. If I did, do you think it would be red?" She asked. She kept skirts in her wardrobe, and they were mostly darker colors, like black, blue and green. "This…this is my mother's…"

He smiled at her. "You look gorgeous as an Amestrian."

Lan Fan frowned at him. "So I don't look gorgeous when I'm Xingese?"

"That's not what I meant and you know that!"

"Then perhaps you should be a little clearer in your compliments!"

Ling crossed his arms at her. "Well I think you look beautiful all the time but you look very nice now. Happy?"

She clicked her tongue and started walking away. "I'm going to go find my Grandfather and see if we're ready to go. I don't want to stay here or in this dress any longer than I have to."

He watched her go a little ways and growled at himself. He grabbed her arm, receiving an ugly look from her and pushed her back to the wall, his face buried in her neck and hands on either side of her head to the wall.

"Ling! My grandfather could come at any moment what the hell are you—"

"I need you…" He said in a pleading kind of voice she had never heard. "I need you…so bad…" He pressed his lips to the bend of her neck and shoulder, then lightly licked it.

Lan Fan's face turned to a deep red. They couldn't be doing this…not now. "Ling…" She said in almost a whisper. "You have to stop…"

"Why?" He whined, trailing his kiss to her exposed, strapless shoulder. He knew perfectly well why. But he couldn't feel the old man's chi. At least, it was far off. Once he got closer it would grow strong again, and then he would quit. "He's too far to find out…"

Lan Fan tried to sense her grandfather's chi but Ling was right. It was pretty far off. She sighed. But even still, Fu could sense the high energy from them and he would come running thinking something was wrong. But it would take him a moment to get here. "Okay…"

Ling smirked and moved his kiss to her lips again, removing his hands from the wall and placing one on the small of her back, the other lifted her thigh to wrap around his waist. Her felt something attached to it and looked down. "What is that?"

"My weapons. Be careful or you'll cut yourself. I don't want to be the one to have to explain that." The side he was touching contained her kunai. The other had her explosives. Just because she was in a dress didn't mean she could go without weaponry.

He nodded and continued to kiss her, his hand now gliding up to her inner thigh. Lan Fan tensed up a little from the close proximity of his goal, and tightened her fingers in his skin on his back.

Ling groaned and moved his fingers under the silk of her underwear and smirked. "Silk? Were you preparing yourself for this?" He mumbled, his lips barely brushing hers.

She smirked back and moved her own lips to his ear. "I told you I was full of surprises right?"

He grinned and slipped them down. After which, said prince moved to her neck again. Lan Fan shivered from the feeling of his warm breath over her even hotter skin. At least, he hadn't forgotten what button to push.

As he proceeded to assault her neck with kisses, licks and bites he pushed into her, which emitted a soft whine from Lan Fan, and she seemed to pull him closer with her legs. She found it much harder to keep her moans quiet once he started to move with her.

Ling was thoroughly enjoying this, and it drove him faster. Lan Fan bit her lip to keep from yelling, or doing whatever she could to express the feeling he was giving her. She may have whispered his name to him a few times, and she fisted her hand in his ponytail. They both became quite sweaty by the time they both reached their limit, calling each other's names and trying to catch their breath.

Ling kept her against the wall a moment, his head resting on her chest to catch his breath. He felt a bit dizzy; maybe it hadn't been a good idea to do this on an empty stomach in the middle as a hot-as-hades desert. She smiled and kissed his forehead. "Are you alright Young Lord?"

He nodded without saying a word and slowly let her down, making sure to pull her panties up and then putting her shoes on for her. Lan Fan blushed at this; he had never been such a…well…princely to her. She took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He smiled down at her as she did so. "What is it?" She asked curiously and then tucking the handkerchief away.

"You are so beautiful." He answered with a grin. "I have no idea how you deal with me."

She shrugged. "I've dealt with you for four years now. It's easier than you make it out to be."

He kissed her lightly on the lips and placed a hand on her cheek. He felt like the luckiest guy in the world with her. Who else had the kind of relationship that he and Lan Fan had? If they did, just like theirs, it was taboo, punishable by law. Yet, he wasn't afraid of anyone finding out. He was worried about Lan Fan, because she could be killed while he was simply banished. They did it that way for a reason. To make him live with his shame and heartache. It was a very cold punishment. He wasn't sure if he could move on if Lan Fan was killed. They either lived together or they died together.

"We should go find my grandfather, I'm sure he's done by now." Lan Fan said, fixing her dress and starting towards the fountain. "But make sure you get a drink of water before we leave here. You're dehydrated."

Ling frowned. His vision was still a bit loopy. "How can you tell?" He hated sharing his weaknesses, no matter how unforgiving the desert was. He wanted to show her that he could get through it just as well as she could. It made him even more guilty that he ate all the food without saving any for Fu or Lan Fan.

"Woman's intuition." She answered with a raised eyebrow, and they both started towards the center of the city.

***(-)***

"There."

Fu pointed at the border line a few miles away. They could see a small town, but no guards, no fences or anything. This surprised all of them. "Grandfather, there's no one guarding the border. Do you think it's a trick?"

Fu grunted and fiddled with his long grey mustache. The last time he had been to the country, there had been border control all over the place. Now it was like they were just asking for insiders to come on in. He replaced his hat on his head and continued walking, Ling and Lan Fan following.

Ling looked to Lan Fan, who had a mix of annoyance and relief on her face. "What's with the expression?" He asked.

"That means I dyed my hair and wore this ridiculous dress for nothing." She grumbled.

He had to hold back a laugh. She really wasn't the most lady-like girl in the world. "Oh come on, it can't be that bad—"

She shot him a dirty look and Ling stopped grinning. That look meant death, a look he was always thankful he hadn't been on the other side of up until now. "I—I mean…"

She returned her gaze on the town ahead of them, without another word to him. He just didn't get how uncomfortable she was with her hair being dirty blond and a dress, a red one at that. She understood that it was necessary at times, to dress appropriately, but she would be happier wearing a skirt. In this way, she was nothing like her mother, who was always wearing dresses.

In another few minutes, they were standing at a gate that read "Youswell". Lan Fan looked it over and surely enough; there was no military standing guard. Even the people bustling back and forth seemed to not notice them. Lan Fan deduced that it was a coal mining town, judging by the carts of black rock coming in and out of a dark and narrow looking tunnel.

Fu surveyed the scene and then simply stepped into the invisible boundary. Lan Fan and Ling gasped but nothing happened. Nothing happened. Lan Fan growled again. "You're kidding. Is this country so busy that it doesn't have border patrol anymore?"

Ling shrugged and followed after Fu, leaving a very heated Lan Fan to walk behind the two. She hoped this was worth it.

Not even moments after they started into the town, a young boy ran up to her. "Excuse me lady, did you and those men just come from the desert?"

Lan Fan looked down at the boy. He was fittingly dirty, and bore a very wide smile. His hair was of the same color as Lan Fan's and his eyes were a crystal clear emerald. Ling and Fu looked back to Lan Fan in alarm. What was she going to say?

Lan Fan smiled back. "Yes, we did. We're tourists." She answered, and the two men let out a breath of relief.

The boy's smile widened. "Oh good! You can stay at the inn tonight!" He turned around and yelled to a group of men. "Hey Dad! We got tourists over here!"

Lan Fan panicked a bit. What if his father was in the military? He would report him for sure! She looked through the crowd of men and it only heightened her nervousness when a strong built man with slightly darker hair than the boy's stepped forward to Lan Fan. "Tourists eh?" He looked over to Ling and Fu who were now walking over to join Lan Fan. "Yeah, you can stay at the inn tonight! It's under new management." He winked with a very strong and loud laugh.

Lan Fan and Ling laughed with him nervously. They weren't sure if there was a punchline with it or not. But they figured if he were offering a room then they shouldn't disrespect him.

"Well, ya came at a good time." The man said, holding out a hand towards the city and walking ahead of them. "I just gained ownership of the inn a few days ago, so I' m bein gracious and letting people stay free." He stuck his hands in his pockets and his son caught up to them, fast on his father's heels. "Oh! You'll have'ta 'scuse ma manners. My name is Halling. And this is my son Kyle."

Lan Fan smiled down to Kyle, who smiled back. "You're very pretty." He told her a bit bluntly. Lan Fan blushed lightly. "Why thank you."

Ling laughed a bit. Now some kid was giving him a run for his money.

"So, do ya got names?" Halling asked, stopping in front of the inn. "Can't let ya in without knowin' em."

Lan Fan, Ling and Fu looked to each other. Should they tell him their real names? It would give them away right off.

"And ya don't hafta lie." Halling said, as if reading their minds. "I know ya aren't from here. Why else would ya come wandering in from the desert?"

Fu took off his hat and spoke finally. "We do not mean to be disrespectful, but I would appreciate it if our names stayed secret. We do not know this country, and this country does not need to know us."

Lan Fan blinked at the old man. That was very rude!

Halling rubbed the back of his head with a confused look on his face. "You're secret's safe with me."

Lan Fan stepped forward and gave him a respectful bow. "I am Lan Fan, this is the Young Prince Ling Yao and that is my grandfather…"

"Fu." Said old man answered with a bow.

"Wow, we got a prince staying here eh? Well, it's an honor t'meetcha!" Halling said in his deep booming voice.

Ling waved it off. "Oh it's nothing really, don't trouble yourself over me." Ling felt like since this wasn't his country, no one should try to treat him like royalty. He actually wondered what it would be like to live a commoner's life.

***(-)***

Halling gave them all separate rooms, but within close proximity of each other. Lan Fan and Ling were right across the hallway from each other, per request from Lan Fan so she could keep a close eye on Ling, and Fu not far down the hallway. They had all met in Ling's room to talk about what was next.

"I asked a few people if any of them were alchemists, but they all weren't." Fu said in a rough voice. "So, I'm not sure where to go from here, but I do have a map of the country." He laid it out on the coffee table.

Ling put a finger to his lips. "I talked to the innkeeper about where we might find a good alchemist that can give us some information."

"Okay, what did he tell you?" Lan Fan asked, a bit anxious.

Ling crossed his arms. "Apprently, there is an elite state alchemist named Edward Elric that came through here a few days ago. Seems he did a lot of good for this town and its people..."

"Apparently, this town was run by a tyrant in the military and this Edward guy conned him out of the deed to the entire town." Ling told them. "He called him the Fullmetal Alchemist. And it's not just here, but everywhere that his name is well known."

Lan Fan nodded. "Well, did you get a description on him at least? We can't just go through this entire country asking every man here if their name is Edward Elric can we?"

Ling smirked at her. "Yes. Halling said he has automail appendages, his right arm and left leg, with gold eyes and hair. And he's travelling around with a suit of armor."

"So his namesake lives up to his physical condition." Fu grumbled. He sighed and rolled the map back up. "Then we start asking and searching tomorrow then." He started towards the door and looked back. "We can sleep in tomorrow but we need to be out of here by noon. I understand we are all tired and worn down from the desert, so enjoy it."

Ling and Lan Fan nodded and watched as he left the room. "So is that all the information you got on this man?"

Ling leaned back on the couch and looked up at the ceiling fan. "People seem to think he's travelled down to a city called Rush Valley down in the South Area of the country. And we are currently in the East Area."

Lan Fan sat down next to him, her hands carefully placed in her lap. "Do you think he might know something about the Philosopher's Stone?"

"He's well known in the country, and he's a powerful alchemist from what I've heard…" Ling yawned a bit and stretched. "He's gotta know something, or at least know someone else that does."

Lan Fan sighed and stood up. She looked outside at the black night falling around the window. "The chase begins tomorrow…" She said in a light tone. "I hope we're ready for whatever this country has to throw at us." She shivered a bit. There was something about this country, something that didn't feel right to her as soon as she stepped foot over the border. There was a disturbance in the earth, it was as if something heavy had been placed on her shoulders. "Ling…do you…feel it?"

Ling looked to her and furrowed his eyebrows. "Feel what?"

She turned around to look at him. "Try to feel the chi of the land here…"

Ling breathed in and out and instantly felt what she had been talking about. It was indeed a strange feeling, something he had never felt before. It was unpleasant. "What…do you think it is?"

Lan Fan shook her head as goosebumps laid over her pale skin. "I...don't know." She looked back out the window. "There is something wrong here…something about this country is off…I just know we're opening a can of worms by being here…"

***(-)***

Lan Fan had just gotten out of the shower, a towel wrapped around her middle and another drying her hair. It felt nice to take a long hot shower like that. It relaxed her right away. But somehow, it felt empty. She knew why though, because it was missing Ling. The last time she had taken a shower like that was a few days ago. She guessed it just felt right when he was there, and foreign when he wasn't.

She quickly dressed into a nightgown, a blue satin one that ran all the way down to her feet, and brushed out her hair. She felt a bit startled when she looked in the mirror. Up until now, she had been going by what Ling said she looked like. It was like she was staring at a whole different person. She continued to brush it through, not taking her eyes off of her hair.

She felt a presence outside her bedroom door and knew immediately who it was. "You don't have to peek at me through the key hole." She commented with a smiled.

Sure enough, Ling opened the door, already in his pajama pants with no shirt, and locked it behind him. He walked over to her and slipped his arms around her middle from behind and laid a gentle kiss on her shoulder. "Good evening gorgeous~" He said in a slightly seductive voice.

Lan Fan finished brushing her damp hair and turned around in his arms, bring her hands up behind his neck and pushing her lips to his. "No. You already had it once today and you wore me out." She parted from him to go brush her teeth.

Ling held up his hands in a sarcastic kind of surrender. "What? I don't know what you're talking about…" He grinned.

She laughed at him and started on her teeth. Once she was finished, she came back out the bathroom and sat on the couch. "You aren't fooling me, I know exactly what you were trying to do."

He walked over and sat beside her, pulling her legs into his lap and wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "I can't get away with anything with you can I?"

She smiled and laid her head on his shoulder. "No. You can't."

"I'm okay with that."

They sat for a few minutes, completely in silence. It had been a few days since they were able to be this close to one another. Even though it was only a few days, they felt like it had been a century. He loved holding her close this way, kissing her when he wanted to, and hugging her, calling her beautiful. And he couldn't wait until he was able to do it out from behind closed doors.

The only sound was the clock pendulum, ticking back and forth until Ling finally spoke again. "I'm very afraid. That you'll be hurt."

Lan Fan lifted her head from his shoulder and opened her eyes. "Ling, I was trained to put my life on the line for you. Of course I'm going to be hurt at least a few times."

He shook his head and hugged her closer. "I'm just not ready for that sort of thing. Not for you or for Fu."

She traced the outline of his muscles lightly with her finger and sighed. "No matter what happens to us, you have to move on. Okay? I'm sure we'll be fine." She turned his head to meet their eyes. "You don't need to worry about us. All you need to worry about is immortality."

He smiled. "Okay." There was a strong doubt in his mind, but the last thing he wanted to do was argue with her.

She let out a breath, with a wan smile, and kissed him. "Alright then…" She stood up. "You need to go back to your room."

Ling frowned and took her hands into his. "But I want to sleep with you tonight. It's been so long." He pouted.

She pulled her hands away. "Yes, but we could both get caught if my grandfather comes in to wake us up and you're not in your room or I'm not in mine."

Ling reluctantly kissed her cheek and headed for the door. "Goodnight then. I love you."

Lan Fan smiled and waved. "I love you too. Sleep well."

***(-)***

A few hours later, Ling jumped to the closing of the door to his room. He sat up quickly once he heard shuffling feet and moving fabric and found that it was Lan Fan. He was a bit shocked as she moved the blankets back on the bed and slid under them.

He hadn't been able to fall asleep as easily as he used to, and it was very frustrating. But then, he wondered if he had indeed fell asleep and if this was a dream.

"Well? Are you going to cuddle me or not?" She asked, her back to him.

He smirked and moved over to the side that Lan Fan resided and wrapped her arms around her after giving her a kiss on the forehead. "Couldn't sleep?" He asked.

"No."

He settled down under the blankets, suddenly feeling tired. "Me either."

* * *

**A/N: Yes, I named this chapter after the new song from Bruno Mars. If you've heard it, you'll know why I named it as such. **

**I hope the amount of words in this one makes up for my late updating. So sorry about that, but I hit a huge writer's block. **

**Please leave a review?**

**Thank you for reading and following! **


	11. Tension

**Chapter 11- Tension**

Ling woke up to the sound of Fu knocking on his door.

"Young Lord. We are leaving in two hours. It's best that you wake up now." He said, and Ling assumed he went to go wake up Lan Fan.

Oh no.

Ling's eyelids flew open, a moment of panic etched on his face. He remembered Lan Fan coming to his bed last night because she couldn't sleep. Once he finally got a hold of himself and took the time to actually scan the bed beside him, he chuckled.

She managed to slip out of his grip once again without waking him up.

Of course she thought ahead before coming to his room. She knew how dangerous such an action was, but he wasn't fully aware of the magnitude of the risk she was taking. He wasn't at all hurt by her leaving without a "good morning" or even a "see you later". If it saved both their asses, then she could slip away like that all she wanted.

He yawned and sat up, the desert sun shining through his window and onto the blue carpeted floor. It was pretty hot, and Lan Fan must have known he would get that way, because she opened the window for him. He grinned again as he stood up and stretched. She always looked out for him.

After taking another shower and dressing himself in his usual white pants and open-faced shirt, and left the room while fastening the strap of his Dao sword to his chest. He looked both ways down the hallway before walking over to Lan Fan's door and knocking.

Lan Fan was currently pulling her hair up into its bun, the foreign color still bouncing off of the dark of her eyes. "Come in!" She yelled, finalizing the style. A few strands of her hair wouldn't pull into the hold, and she decided just to let them stay out.

Ling opened the door with a bright smile. "Good morning~!" He greeted her with a small wave. He closed the door behind him and walked over to her. "You look." _Kiss_. "Absolutely." _Kiss_. "Wonderful today."

She rolled her eyes, fixing the cuff of her shirt, positioning her kunai just right under sleeve. "You're in a good mood this morning." She smiled, while wrapping her studded strap around her wrist. "Did you sleep that well?"

He kissed from her shoulder, covered now with black fabric, to the flesh of her neck then to her ear. "We hadn't slept in the same bed together for a few nights. I guess my mood was a bit off." He smirked.

Lan Fan shook her head and sighed. She wasn't looking forward to this rest of this journey, simply for that reason. It had been a moment since they got to enjoy time together freely. "I hope you enjoyed it. That'll probably be the last time for a few weeks. There's no telling what kind of shelter we'll have to find. Halling was nice to let us stay here for free."

Ling sat down on the bed and continued to watch her get ready for the day. "Yeah, I guess you're right. It was nice..." He smiled at her.

She picked her mask up from the dresser and held it in her hands. "It was." She answered thoughtfully.

Ling's smile fell and his expression became concerned. "What's wrong?"

Said woman sat beside him, fiddling with the ties on her mask. "Nothing. I just…" What was wrong? She couldn't place a finger on it. Maybe the pressure of chi here was weighing on her. "I don't know. Maybe I'm just being silly." She smiled and stood back up. "We should go meet with my grandfather. I'm sure he was a plan for us to get what we need."

Ling watched her for a moment. Was there something she didn't want to tell him? She told him everything, and she never kept secrets from him. He frowned a bit in aggravation. Maybe there really was nothing wrong with her and they were both just tired. He let out a breath and nodded. "Alright. Let's get going." He didn't want to be in this country any longer. The odd feeling probably had something to do with her vacant mood.

Just as Ling was about to stand up to go to the door, it opened, with Fu on the other side. "Good you're both ready." He confirmed and closed the door behind him. "The man in charge here gave us tickets to Rush Valley. We owe him a lot for showing us some kindness."

Lan Fan shrugged and stood up to walk over to him, bowing before straightening and speaking to him. "I thought telling him our names might soften him up a bit. For a moment, he was reluctant to let us stay." And another night in some godforsaken nowhere didn't sound very optimal.

Ling shoved his hands in his pockets as he stood. "When do we leave?" He asked, standing beside Lan Fan.

"About half an hour. The train is already in the station getting refreshments and fueling up. We should leave now to avoid any seating complications." The seating arrangement sounded petty, but it was crucial. Despite their location, they still had to protect Ling. Fu placed the map of the country and tickets in his pack. "Let's get moving."

About fifteen minutes later, after thanking for allowing them to stay and a rib crushing hug from Halling, the three headed to the train station, Lan Fan and Fu with their masks on. She could put it on now without burning herself , and it was best to have it on while boarded on the train.

"I really wish you would take that thing off." Ling mumbled to her.

"You know I have to keep it on." Lan Fan told him with a straight face. She knew why he wanted her to have it off, but it was for her own personal good. She flipped the hood of her shirt up to hide her hair and continued to walk. "It's not just to keep me safe, it's to keep you safe too."

Ling really hated that thing. He liked to see her beautiful face every time he looked over to her. She always had such a set, determined look on her face, yet it always showed precision that not much people had. It was as if she was completely aware of her surroundings, noticing every sudden movement. His favorite moments were when she caught him looking at her, and she quickly turned her deep dark gaze away from him with a light pink blush gracing her cheeks.

Once on the train, Fu had arranged for Lan Fan to sit at the front of the car by the door, himself by the back door, and the prince somewhere in the middle. A child sitting with her mother stared at Lan Fan, wondering why she was wearing such a beautiful mask. "Mommy look! Her mask is pretty!" said the child to her mother, and tugging on the woman's sleeve. The woman looked up to Lan Fan and whispered something to the little girl, after which the little girl completely avoided looking at Lan Fan.

Lan Fan smiled slightly and sat down, the child and her mother still in sight. _It must be nice_, she thought. _A child without their mother is a very hard thing to bear_. She was fine without knowing her father. If he hadn't bothered to get to know her, then she really wouldn't mind not meeting him for the rest of her life. He was the one that sent her mother away. She didn't even want to look at his face.

Soon, the train began to move. This was the first time Lan Fan had been on a train in a long time. She had gone to the country's capital for The Coming of The New Year, which was also her birthday. It was a long time ago, and she hadn't celebrated her birthday much since she started watching Ling.

At that thought, Lan Fan leaned over in her seat to look down the aisle for the said Prince, whom she found gazing back at her. She flushed pink and quickly sat up. She was glad the mask was on her face for now. She really didn't want him to see her blush like that.

Ling leaned back up with a grin. "That will always be my favorite thing about you…" He mumbled and looked out the window as the desert sped past them, making the mission official.

***(-)***

A few hours passed, and the sun had very nearly set behind the mountains now in view. The sand had turned to lush, green, rolling hills. There were rivers in sight, and the air was clear. Lan Fan even opened the window to take a breath. It was damp, but fresh and cool. There was no air like that in Xing.

The train made a stop in a town called Resembool for a water refill. Fu had told the other two that they shoulder stay on board, and that the wait wouldn't be too long. Ling groaned impatiently.

"Patience Young Lord. We will be there soon." Lan Fan reassured him lightly. She had come to his side a few moments ago to get orders from her grandfather.

Ling looked up at her and smiled. "I guess you're right. I just want to get it over with is all."

Lan Fan rolled her eyes. For wanting to be a ruler of a country, he was very impatient. Being a ruler is nothing but patience, responsibility and chivalry to his people. He had two of the skills down. But she knew how to fix the patience.

She bowed to them both and shuffled back to her seat, catching sight of the little girl and her mother, the girl now curled up in the seat, her head resting on the woman's lap. The assassin was about to take her seat once more when the lady spoke. "Excuse me, miss? You are a woman right?" The lady asked.

Lan Fan looked around a moment. Was she talking to her? "Y-Yes I am. Can I help you?"

"My name is Arimi, and this is my daughter Farrah." Arimi stuck out her hand for Lan Fan to shake. But Lan Fan simply bowed slightly. "It is a pleasure to meet you." The Xingese responded.

"Uhm, right…" Arimi blinked. She cleared her throat. "I apologize for earlier. Farrah is a very curious girl. I didn't mean for her to stare."

Lan Fan shook her head and smiled. "It's no trouble at all. I know how it can be." She responded with a nod. "She is a sweet girl, I do not take offense."

Arimi nodded and moved the brown curly hair out of Farrah's face. "She's all I have left now. Her older brother was killed in the Ishvalan War, and my husband disappeared." Lan Fan's heart dropped a little, but became curious at the same time. "Ishvalan War? There is war in this country?"

The woman nodded. "We have been at war since the country was born. Currently, we have a border war in Aerugo and Creta. But the worst had to be the war in Ishval." She began to explain. "It's a religion and race of people out in the east. Apparently, an Amestrian soldier shot and killed a child there, and it sparked a civil war." Arimi stopped to take a breath. Talking about an extermination of a race wasn't the easiest thing in the world, especially not when you lost someone to it. "After a few months of war, the Fuhrer, King Bradley, passed a document that started the War of Extermination."

"Extermination? You can't be serious?" Lan Fan asked rhetorically with an incredulous expression. What kind of King would exterminate his own people?

Arimi nodded. "It ended a few years ago. But that blood is on the alchemists and the soldiers that served in it hands. I can't imagine too many of them thought the order was justified."

Lan Fan couldn't believe what she was hearing. They had never really had an all-out extermination of each other. The more she heard about this country, the more she thought they never should have come. "I'm…sorry for your loss…"

The woman smiled. "It's alright. We're picking ourselves back up from it though…"

After another moment of conversing, Lan Fan went back to her seat. The train whistled sounded it's last boarding call. She couldn't wait to tell Ling and her grandfather what she had learned. Not that it had anything to do with their mission, but her heart was bursting with empathy. This country's leader was a horrible man, and she hoped she would never have to face him at all.

Two men stepped on board, with dark colored skin and grey hair, slightly lighter than Fu's. Ling thought it a bit strange; they looked fairly young, that was no reason to have grey hair. _The people of this country are strange…_He thought and looked back to Lan Fan. She was out of sight for now.

They sat a few seats ahead of him and Ling relaxed once more, closing his eyes so he could sleep for the rest of his journey. He had no idea why he was so tired. He slept like a rock last night once Lan Fan crawled into bed with him. Part of him wished that wasn't all they did last night. He really shouldn't have blown it when they were in Xerxes. He let out a self-loathing breath.

Once the train got rolling, Lan Fan felt a stale intention in the air. She had noticed the men that boarded the train had a very strange flow in their chi, like they were prone for attack. Who could cause trouble on this train? Besides Lan Fan and Fu, everyone looked pretty harmless…

At the same moment she became suspicious, the two men sprang into action. "Everybody get your hands up! We're taking this train!"

The people on the train gasped in fear and immediately their hands flew up. Lan Fan, Ling and Fu put their hands up, but Lan Fan was concerned for their lives. It was especially stomach wrenching when one of the men picked up Farrah and held the gun to her head. "If anyone makes a wrong move, we kill her!" Arimi cried. "No! Please don't hurt her!" Farrah woke out of her sleep and looked up to the man holding her hostage, and began to scream.

Lan Fan looked to Ling, who shook his head. This was very dangerous, and holding the little girl hostage was terrible, but they needed to stay out of it. This wasn't their country or their people. She moved her eyes to the man, standing so close she could touch him.

This was wrong. She couldn't sit quietly and let things unfold the way they were, especially when she had the ability to stop them. And Arimi, she didn't have anyone else. She knew what it was like to live without a mother, but a mother without both children had to be the worst.

Lan Fan moved her eyes up to the men. She was going to get a lot of grief from Fu and Ling for what she was about to do.

She let her hands down and stood up. "What the hell do you think you're doing? I told you to get your hands up!" One of the men said and directed his gun towards her.

Ling nearly jumped out of his chair, but felt a hand on his shoulder. Fu shook his head when Ling looked back to see who it was. "This endangers you too Young Lord. It's best to let Lan Fan take care of it."

The prince gritted his teeth. He was fine. They weren't threatening him directly. They were threatening Lan Fan, and subordinate or not, he didn't want any harm to come to her. This country was a force to be reckoned with.

Lan Fan continued to stand, a kunai in her hand. She didn't speak a word. "Are you trying to be a tough guy?" The first man said, throwing the girl back to her mother and advancing towards Lan Fan with his gun now directed to her.

She was done hearing him talk. She moved quickly, cutting down the barrel of the gun with her kunai and completely slicing off the majority of the barrel. The Ishvalan looked at it, stunned. But he didn't have much time to react because she caught him with a fist to the face, the studs from her wrap leaving imprints on his cheek, and then a swift kick to the gut and he was sent flying to the other end of the train car. He wouldn't be getting up any time soon because he was knocked out. The other made an advance towards her too, and she ducked out of the way, kicking the gun out of his hand and it skidded away from them.

"You damn bastard!" The other said, throwing punch towards her, only this time Lan Fan barely dodged it. He was a little more skilled than the other. He managed to catch her by the neck and lifted her off the ground, his intent to throw her as she had the other man that advanced towards her first. Lan Fan's hands moved up to his and tried to pry them away. How could she be so careless?

"Lan Fan!" Ling yelled to her. "If you don't kick his ass I won't be happy with you!" _She decided to start the fight, she better fucking end it_! He thought. It went without saying that he had a bone or two to pick with her when they got off this train.

The man turned around to Ling as he shouted, but kept Lan Fan up in his hands, her consciousness slowly started to deteriorate. "This little shit is yours then eh? And what would you do if I gave him a one-way trip out the window?" He asked with a stupid grin, and walking over to the nearest window.

Ling paled. He couldn't just sit here and do nothing. He attempted to get up again, but Fu held him firm. "No Young Lord. Lan Fan would not simply give up this way, she has a motive." He whispered. Ling growled at the old man and then looked to Lan Fan. Her eyes were beginning to close.

Just as Ling was about to stand up and slice the man into a million pieces, the train's police showed up. _Damn, what took them so long_? Lan Fan thought. It was the perfect distraction.

"Drop the passenger and get your hands up!" One of them shouted, brandishing a pistol. The man only grinned. "Of course I would expect Amestrian dogs to come after me. You came just in time to see a little squirt fly out the window."

Just as he was about to push her out, she wrapped her legs around his neck, twisted, and flipped him to the ground, his neck still crushed between her legs. One thing was for sure, he wasn't going anywhere. The man groaned and slipped into unconsciousness. Lan Fan continued to try and catch her breath and let her vision straighten out from the lack of blood running to her head while he was choking her.

The officers went over to the man and picked him up out of Lan Fan's grip. She stood up, still breathing heavily but making it barely noticeable. "Thank you for catching these guys for us, they've been causing a lot of trouble for us lately." One of the officers said and giving her a curt bow. Lan Fan nodded in return without speaking a word. It did make her skin crawl a bit that everyone thought she was a man. Her chest wasn't that flat under these clothes…were they?

"What is your name? I'm sure the fuhrer would like to know who did this country such a good deed."

Lan Fan shook her head and sat down. They didn't need to know her name, because she didn't do it for the fuhrer or whatever. She did it to keep Arimi and her daughter safe, but most importantly to keep Ling safe.

The officers shrugged and took the two men away.

She closed her eyes and sank down in her seat with a slow breath. Just before she dropped into sleep from exhaustion, she felt a hand on her sleeve. Immediately going on the defensive her eyes flew open, but looked down to see the little girl, tugging at the fabric for Lan Fan's attention.

Lan Fan stood up once more and looked down at her. "What is it?" She asked softly. Farrah hugged Lan Fan's legs and looked up to her. "Thank you for helping me and my mommy. I'll never forget you."

Lan Fan smiled and blushed lightly under her mask. "It was no trouble at all."

***(-)***

A few hours later they got off the train and started into Rush Valley. "We have a few bucks left from the money we got from Halling. I'll go find us a place to stay." Fu told them, and walked off.

Lan Fan looked up to Ling, who had a set and hardened look on his face. He hadn't cracked a single smile at her since they left the train. "Young Lord, are you alright?"

Silence.

"Ling?"

Still no answer.

Lan Fan sighed and continued to wait by the door of the inn Fu had picked out, watching people come and go, and sensing no aggression from anyone. It was getting pretty dark out, and she was sure everyone was going home and closing up shop. It still bothered her. He had never treated her this way, much less not answer her when she prompted him. Was he angry that she engaged the men on the train?

Fu came out with each of their room keys and handed it to the respective persons, then bid them a goodnight, reminding them that they would be starting early tomorrow.

Lan Fan's room was right across the hall from Ling's and she looked over to him before she opened her door, but was met with nothing but his closing. She blew out an exasperated breath. "What the hell is your problem?" She muttered and went into her own room.

After about an hour, Lan Fan heard her door open and close from the sitting room. She had already changed into pajamas, a shorter version of the one she wore the night before, and was reading another one of her favorite romance novels. She slid the glasses off of her nose and folded them up before sitting it aside with her book. "Ling?"

Ling came into view, the expression still on his face. "You're an idiot, you know that?"

Lan Fan stopped in her tracks to meet him halfway. "I…what?"

"An idiot. That little hero act you pulled on the train could have caused us more trouble than we needed!" He growled at her.

Lan Fan furrowed her eyebrows. "Protecting your life and the life of two people who have already had enough taken from them is a hero act?" She shot back. "I was trying to do the right thing Ling! You didn't hear the story I heard…"

"That's not the point Lan Fan!" He yelled and walked towards her. She stood her ground, and kept her eyes fierce and steady on his. "What if they had others following them that wanted to avenge their partners? What if they had bested you?" He continued to yell, his eyes open and piercing through her being. "I thought I was the one who didn't think things through but you made such a stupid move with that!"

"What if the roles had been reversed Ling? What if it had been me that he was threatening? You would have just sat there and let him kill me?"

A slap resounded in the room, so fast that the other had not seen it.

But Ling immediately felt guilty and retracted his hand as if the contact with her skin had burned his.

Lan Fan's gaze had moved to the floor after the impact, her bangs hid her eyes, and a bright red mark welled up on her cheek. She moved her hand slowly up to the spot, tears welled up in her eyes, but she didn't want to let him see. It wasn't right for her to cry from punishment. But punishment from Ling, had never happened until now.

"L-Lan Fan…I…I'm s—"

"If you apologize to me, I swear I will pull my kunai out and cut you into pieces!"

Ling jumped back from the comment, his heart dropping a thousand miles an hour. He didn't know what to say, or how to remedy the situation.

Lan Fan exhaled, her voice shook as she spoke again. "Have you done what you came to do?" She asked quietly. Her hand still trembled over the spot and her gaze was still fixed on the red carpet beneath her feet.

Ling's breath caught and swallowed hard but the lump in his throat had failed to disappear. He didn't mean to strike her, he swore to himself that he would never do something like that to her. He loved her too much…

"Okay then…" She walked over to the door and opened it. She bowed, like she should have been doing all these years, and still not meeting her eyes to his. "I will see you tomorrow morning Master Ling…"

Ling looked from her, to the door and back at her again. He couldn't say anything, couldn't think up anything to say that would show how sorry he was. He sighed and ambled towards the door, and looked at her once more. He hated this, bowing to him like a working class girl. He liked it when she looked straight at him, when her beautiful eyes made contact with his and she greeted him with a smile each time. He looked away and went out the door.

Lan Fan closed it carefully behind him and leaned against the door for a moment, to try and contain herself. She hated to cry, because it showed weakness, it made her vulnerable. It blurred her vision. She took a few slow breaths and went back into the sitting room area and turned out the lights. The slap had obviously hurt her feelings. Ling had never showed such aggression, and when he made the action there was no remorse in his eyes until after the fact. If he really hadn't wanted to do it, he would have stopped before his hand made contact.

She thought this over and over in her mind a few moments before shaking her head, as if trying to shake the memory from her brain.

Lan Fan tried to finish reading the rest of her book, but couldn't stay focused enough. The end result was to try and get some sleep.

She climbed into bed, pulling the blankets over her and turning off the bedside light. After a few moments of laying in the silence, all that she had been holding back crashed down on her in one setting, and the tears fell out of her eyes without her making a sound. She hated to cry, crying was a weakness…

And the more she thought about it, her relationship with Ling was making her weak too...

* * *

**A/N: ****_I would first like to say that I'm sorry I didn't update sooner. I got a really bad case of writer's block once again, and my college work has gotten a bit out of hand so I haven't been popping out chapters like I used to. You'll know when my semester's over once I start posting within a week. _**

**_Anyways, thank you for reading my story! I've gotten some amazing reviews and I would like to thank everyone who has followed, favorited or reviewed. It keeps me motivated to know that I have so many supporters. I hope I continue to fulfill your LingFan dreams!_**


	12. Envoy From The East

Chapter 12- Envoy from the East

Please read A/N at the end of chapter ^_^

* * *

Lan Fan woke the next morning, feeling slightly displaced. She could feel the heat from the foreign terrain outside, and kicked off the blankets in frustration. She then reached a careful and steady hand over to the left side of the bed, usually occupied by the familiar feel of heavy yet long thick hair, and the sound of a deep snore. Her eyebrows furrowed a little, disappointed that she felt nothing but emptiness.

But then, after remembering the night's events, her stomach made a sickening twist.

She finally opened her eyes, not sure if she could hold herself together once she saw the emptiness next to her. She sat up, without looking, and slid out of bed, her toes sinking into the soft blue carpet beneath them. She walked across the room to the bathroom, but caught sight of herself in the mirror. The dirty blond hair still rested on her head, her black pearls looked tired, but the part that she had been staring at, was the large bruise on her cheek. She reached a tender hand to it, and winced a little. It only brought forth tears, and she tore her gaze away from it to go get ready for the day.

Maybe she could hold back for a little while longer…

***(-)***

Ling opened his eyes slowly, deciding to give already now that the sun was up fully in the sky. He hadn't slept at all that night, just thinking of how he should apologize to his significant other for letting his anger get the best of him. He had never admitted that to himself until now. He probably hurt her, and in more ways than one…

It was a pain to continuously look over and not see her delicate silhouette next to him, her pale skin making the white sheets look dingy, and the temporary dirty blonde hair scattered behind her carelessly because she hated to sleep with it in her face. He loved to run his fingers through it until she woke up, until she rolled over and smiled at him, and gave him a gentle, warming kiss that lasted him the whole day.

He ruined it all, and he knew it. But he had to get out of bed. She would be even more unhappy if he gave up on his goals because of her.

He sat up and stretched his arms a little, still feeling very much out of place. It was as if it was routine for him to wake up with her in his arms, or for her to line gentle kisses down his back. His back tingled at the thought, until he shook his head and slid out of bed.

A few hours later, Fu knocked on the door just as Ling had begun to tie his sword to his back. "Master Ling, are you ready?" He asked, stepping in the door and looking to his superior. "We haven't time to waste, we should get going if we're going to look for the alchemist."

Ling nodded and flatly slid his hands in his pockets. "Sounds good. Is Lan Fan ready to go?" He asked, her name sticking needles in his throat as it made its way up to his lips.

"I have been waiting for you, Master Ling."

Ling looked past Fu and to Lan Fan, the bruise on her cheek not at all hidden. Her eyes moved downcast as if to avoid his, and her expression was stony, with no sign of breaking, not even if she dared to glance at him like she usually did. There was no way that Fu couldn't see the bruise, and he was sure that Lan Fan had already explained what had happened in her room last night. And since Fu wasn't exactly being salty towards the Prince, he figured Lan Fan gave him a different story. That, or he thought she got what she deserved. And Ling could only _pray_ that that wasn't what Fu thought.

"Oh, uhm, of course." Ling answered with a nod, not sure what else to say. He started past them and down the hall. "Let's get going then."

"Young Lord, have you eaten this morning? It would be wise for you to do so." Lan Fan said quietly, still not looking at him. "We wouldn't want you to collapse in this heat."

Ling looked back to her and frowned a little. _Dammit, why won't she look at me?_ "Eh, no. I'm not hungry this morning, so I can wait a little while." He answered and looking ahead of him once again to walk down the long corridor. He was lying of course, and Lan Fan knew it. Ling was _always_ hungry, even after he ate a big meal he would be eating again in 10 minutes. But she decided not to argue with him, and continued to follow him out of the building while Fu returned the room keys.

Once out on the main street in the city, Ling looked around, hands on hips, trying to think of a place to start. "It would probably be best if we split up. We would cover more ground that way. If you see anyone that fits the criteria for Edward Elric, send up a flash bomb and I'll be on my way." He told her. "Make sure you tell Fu exactly that."

Lan Fan tied the mask onto her face and nodded. "Are you sure it's wise to send up a flash bomb? With all these people around, it would be best to use a flare." She said, half-correcting him.

Ling blinked. "Uh, yes. That's what I meant."

Lan Fan explained everything to her grandfather once he came back out and the old man leaped away immediately to start the search. "Please be careful Master Ling." She said, and was about to go off on her own way when she was pulled back and into an alley.

"L-Young Lord! What are you doing?" Lan Fan asked, still keeping her eyes off of him; the sky, the sun, the mountains, anything but the eyes that were probably begging to have contact with hers.

"Why won't you look at me?" He asked, a bit of hurt in his tone. "I need an answer Lan Fan. Before we leave this alley I want to fix it all."

Lan Fan took a shuddering breath and moved her eyes up to him finally, the hurt penetrating her heart all over again once she gave him what he wanted. That was all the answer Ling needed, was the hurt he could now see. Maybe that was why she was avoiding his gaze. "I…I see." He answered, and let go of her shirt. Lan Fan stayed stock still against the brick wall behind her.

"I…I can't…" She took a breath, and tried to finish her sentence. "I can't do this with you anymore." She finally told him, her voice cracking as she tried to hold back the tears that were pushing since this morning. "You see, you're a weakness. And if I am weak that means I won't be strong enough to protect your life, not like I should." She moved her eyes from him again. "I'm sorry, but we need a little time apart."

Ling shook his head. "You're willing to end everything we had just because I lost my temper? Just because I worried about you getting hurt, and then you make it sound like you don't matter to me."

"It's because when you had a chance, you didn't stop yourself!" Lan Fan answered back, her tone gaining some leverage. "And…" Her voice plunged back down to her usual soft and quiet tone. "I deserved it right? For not following orders…" She looked away from him again and moved away from the wall. "It's high time you start treating me like a superior should. This whole thing was a bad idea from the start."

Ling shook his head, not wanting to accept a single word she said. She wanted to end the whole thing, just like that. With a stupid excuse like he was making her weak. "I'm not letting you walk away from me like this." He said quietly. "I know you don't want to hear it, but I am so sorry." He told her, and walking back to her. "I'm sorry that I was such an idiot that I raised my hand to you, the one person I love…" He reached for her hand, and was thankful she didn't try to pull it away. Looking at the bruise that interrupted the smooth cover of perfect skin, it made him feel worse. "It was a mistake, among other things that could separate us, this is nothing. I need you by my side Lan Fan, things won't feel right if you aren't."

Lan Fan squeezed his hand in hers slightly and thought about it. After that, she shook her head. "I'll still be by your side Ling…"

Ling felt hopeful for a moment, thinking that he saved them, until she let go of his hand.

"But for now, I must put your life first. Anything more than that can wait…" She told him and bowed to him slightly. After a lingering moment, her heart begging her to turn back and accept his apology, she blinked the stray tears away and left.

Ling stood in the alley a good five minutes before taking a seat by the brick wall. He wasn't sure what he should do in that moment, he just felt empty. Empty in more ways than one. He didn't want to think about food right now. All he wanted to think about was ways to get Lan Fan back. He felt so obsessive. He didn't even have the will power to go look for the alchemist.

A few hours more of sitting there, stagnant in the heat, he began to grow dizzy. He couldn't pass out. If Lan Fan or Fu found him that way, he was sure to get scolded by them for sure. He stood up, took two steps, and after swaying in the spot for a moment, collapsed.

***(-)***

"Hey, _nii-san_!"

"What is it Al? Did you find a stray cat or something?"

"Well…no!"

"WHAT THE HELL?"

***(-)***

"Phew! Thank for the meals guys!" Ling said, smiling as he wiped his mouth. "Your treat right?"

He looked over to the rather short guy in front of him, who looked pretty annoyed, whether from Ling or the heat, he wasn't sure. It looked as if the expression remained on his face for a long time. "Who said I was paying?" He mumbled, resting his head on the metallic appendage.

"Oh don't fret over such small things…"

"DON'T SAY LITTLE!"

Ling ignored the demand and sighed. "It's so nice, receiving this kind of hospitality so far from home."

"Far from home?" The armor said. "You mean…you're not from here?"

Ling looked up at the armor. Strange, he didn't feel any chi coming from it…"No! I'm from the land of Xing!"

"Xing?" Edward wondered aloud. "Oh yeah, the large country east of the desert area…" He frowned at Ling, almost looking at him as if he was crazy. "You crossed the desert area just to come here? Why would you do that?"

Ling took another bite of the apple pie on his plate and wiped away the stray sweetness from his lips. "I have other reasons for coming here, but I wanted to visit the ruins of Xerxes. Our route ran right through there."

"Xerxes? I heard there was next to nothing out there."

"Well you're right, but I wanted to see for myself."

Edward's eyes concentrated for a moment, and expression Ling couldn't quite decipher, but then the golden-eyed alchemist looked back up to him. "You said that was one reason, what's the other?"

Ling placed a steady hand to his chin in thought and looked up to the pale blue sky. "I wanted to study this country's alchemy. It holds the key to saving my clan back in Xing." He told him. "My subordinate and I were thinking, that maybe combining it with our country's Alkahestry that we might—"

"Wait a second, what's Alkahestry?" Edward interrupted.

"Don't be rude brother, you interrupted him." Alphonse scolded.

"What? I need to know!" Edward shot back.

Ling held up a hand. "It's quite alright, I'm happy to share this information, only in exchange for information from you." He smiled. "Do you agree to those terms?"

Edward nodded, to which Ling began to explain. "Alkahestry is a form of alchemy in my country that is based on medical needs, and uses the power of the Dragon's Pulse to perform the power." He told them. "It's not a cure-all, but it comes in pretty handy."

Edward listened intently and mouthed a small 'wow'. "Here, alchemy is based off of the energy from the earth's core, and used mainly for the military. And it's not hard to see why…" He said, his eyes rolling a bit. "We're a small country, and we started out by taking over smaller countries around us. Recently, things moved a little more to the militaristic when the current ruler, King Bradley came to power."

"Sounds like you guys have your hands full."

"And we do. We're at war with Creta and Aerugo at the moment, and the only reason Drachma hasn't attacked is because of the Briggs Mountains."

"And I heard the officer in command at Fort Briggs is a force to be reckoned with." Alphonse added in.

Ling nodded slowly. Sounded like a more tedious version of the clans in Xing. But, he was still here for one thing and one thing only. "By chance, are you two alchemists?"

The two before him nodded. "We sure are! I'm the Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric!" He said, holding out his metallic hand for Ling to shake. "And I'm Alphonse Elric, is little brother." The armor bowed. Ling smiled at the two and shook Edward's hand politely. "I'm Ling Yao! It's a pleasure to meet you!"

"Likewise! So, I'd like to hear more about this Alkahestry! Think you can give us some information?" Edward asked excitedly.

"Uhhhhm, no." Ling answered simply. "Yeah, sorry, but I'm not an Alkahestrist."

Edward's expression turned annoyed. "Then why the hell are you here?"

Ling grinned. "Oh you didn't hear my last reasoning for being here…"

_Young Lord, we are in the area…_

"Perhaps you've heard of it…" Ling rested his head on his hand. "The Philosopher's Stone?"

The two before him gasped. _I knew it…_Ling thought. _I knew it was him when I saw him. _

The expression on Edward's face turned from angry, to shocked, and now to indifferent. "No, I have no idea what you're talking about." He stood up, nodding his head in the opposite direction, beckoning his brother to walk away from Ling. The armor followed suit and started off with him.

"Oh, but I think you do…"

Ling snapped, and as expected his two servants dropped from the roof, Fuu with his sword on Alphonse, and Lan Fan with her kunai right at Edward's throat. The two boys stopped walking. "What do you want with the Philosopher's Stone anyways?" Edward asked calmly.

"Simple. I seek immortality."

***(-)***

"Oh no. I overdid it…"

Lan Fan walked over the crumbled pieces of rubble, trying to find the body of the alchemist. She just couldn't help herself when he started talking bad about Ling. She might be separated from him at the moment, but that didn't excuse any insults from anyone about Ling. She wasn't able to attack his brothers when they talked ill of him, but someone so low on the totem pole could easily be killed for it.

In this case, she wasn't supposed to kill him. Only get him to talk.

"Master Ling will be furious with me." She pulled the collar of her shirt up farther over her lower facial features, since he managed to break her mask. This also angered her; that mask was very important to her, and he broke it just so he could see her face. The reaction was what she expected from him. "A girl?" Damn that kid…

She found his automail sticking up out of the crumbled concrete and pulled it up, expecting to retrieve his body as well, but only finding a string. She heard a snap of rope, creaking of wire, and before she knew it she was up in the air, tied up and dangling from a post.

"You gotta be careful with those things girly, a normal person would be dead."

Lan Fan frantically searched for the familiar voice and found the small alchemist making his way over to her, his completely detached arm slung over his shoulder and a very annoyed look on his face.

"You sacrificed your own arm?" She asked with a bit of spice in her voice.

"No, you blew it off. But I spent most of my childhood catching rabbits and things. I figured that a human wouldn't be any different." He shrugged.

A few moments later, the large suit of armor came over the hill carrying her grandfather, who was also bound up. How were they beaten this easily? Their alchemy, of course. Lan Fan pouted a little. Seemed a little unfair.

"Brother! What happened to your arm?" Alphonse asked, and set the old man down.

"That girl happened, that's what. Damn, Winry's gonna kill me." Edward groaned.

"Wow! Great work guys, that was some show!"

Lan Fan moved her black pearls up to find Ling, who had finally caught up with them after stuffing his face with more food. Her cheeks flushed pink and she turned her gaze back away from him. _Now think…_She was able to retrieve a kunai from her sleeve and started to cut away at the rope, plotting a silent escape while Ling distracted the two.

"You! What the hell is wrong with you, sending your flunkies after us? She almost killed me!" Edward yelled, waving his detached arm around.

Soon, a crowd surrounded them all, demanding repairs, and other complaining about the town being wrecked. "And don't forget your restaurant bill!" The owner yelled, waving the bill at him.

"Hey hey! Don't look at me! It's the guy with the freaky eyes and his servants! Talk to them, they'll handle everything." Edward looked back at Ling, who grinned.

"What? I'm sorry, I don't understand this country's language I'll have to be going now goodbye!" And with that Ling leapt away.

"Hey! Get your ass back here!"

Edward turned around to point fingers at Fuu and Lan Fan, but both were missing, much to Ed and Al's dismay. "Damn it! Where did they go?"

Once they were sure they got away from the two, Ling decided to have a talk wth his two underlings. Lan Fan especially, because she had gotten a little rough.

"Young Lord, I don't know why you're wasting your time on those two peasants," Fu said, his rough voice thickening at the word 'peasants'. "We can get the information we need from someone with more respect and class. There's no reason to bow your head to them."

Ling continued to gaze off of the rooftop, thinking everything over. It was quite obvious that those two pretty much everything necessary to the Philosopher's Stone but wasn't willing to give any hints to immortality. This would more difficult than he thought. Eventually he would use force if he had to. He would do anything to get what he wanted. "If all it takes is a little head bowing then I'll do it as many times as I need to. Even if it comes to force, it's quite obvious that they won't give us what we want." He let out a breath. What was so important about it that they couldn't just tell him? "I have fifty-thousand clansman running on this. We've come this far, the last thing I want to think about is respect and class."

Fu grunted and stood up. Ling could tell that Fu wasn't whole-heartedly into the idea of grilling the Elric brothers, but it was the only lead that they had. He wasn't going to waste it. "Fu, do you mind if I talk to Lan Fan alone?" He asked. Fu blinked at him and then looked to her. "Of course my Lord." He walked away, leaving Lan Fan a little grieved. He still wanted to talk? After everything that happened this morning? She pulled her scarf up to her eyes and stayed put. "You were a little rough this time Lan Fan, I'm a bit disappointed."

Lan Fan swallowed hard and bowed. "I'm sorry Young Lord. He was defiling your name and I couldn't just—"

"You need to learn how to keep a level head with these things Lan Fan. I may be a weakness but not all that can be blamed on me. Keep your emotions in check. Do you understand?"

She could hear the sting of the accusation in his voice and bit her lip. Perhaps she was a little too harsh this morning. She nodded, even though he couldn't see it, or hear it. "Yes My Prince." He stood up and stretched. "I still feel that strange presence here. Do you?"

Lan Fan went quiet a moment before nodding in agreement. "Yes. It hasn't faltered since we came. There is something off about this country." She said, staring off at the mountains. "I've never sensed this multiplicity within one being before."

He turned and walked over to her, standing before her and staring down at her. She blushed even deeper pink. It was all she could do not to touch her lips to his, in a desperate attempt to quell the desire that had been peaking since this morning. But that wasn't possible, even if they still had a relationship. There were people watching everywhere. He smiled and gave her cheek a light playful smack. "I still love you, and you're still beautiful." He said, Lan Fan a little confused as to where that was coming from. "And even more beautiful when you blush because of me."

Lan Fan blushed red, and looked away. "Forgive me, but s-shut up!" She mumbled, of which she received a chuckle and a kiss on the hidden cheek. "Do you still love me?" He asked. She looked back to him and nodded. "I never stopped."

He looked around and pulled her into a hug. "What are you thinking? Someone could be watching!" She said, not returning the favor. He squeezed her even tighter. He just wanted to remember, even if it was for a minute, what it felt like to be close to her. To feel her heart beat against his, and the texture of her hair through his fingers. "The least you can do is give me one last hug."

The assassin rolled her eyes and growled. "You're an idiot." She was still worried about someone watching. Everything in her body wanted to hug him back but her mind wouldn't allow her arms to wrap around his body. But she wanted, no, needed that kind of love. The risk, the truthful kind that he didn't care who saw. She finally caved and hugged him back, and could feel his smile grow. "But you're my idiot. And you always will be."

* * *

A/N: Sorry this is so late! I got super busy with my classes, now I'm done and I'll be getting to chapters much quicker! This might seem a little half-assed but that was kind of because I was rushing T_T I wanted to get this out for you guys I hope you can forgive me.

Next chapter will be more interesting I promise! ^_^


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